Collateral Damage
by kmi85
Summary: Nothing was ever simple when it came to Juliet Burke and Katherine Austen.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Lost is not mine and will never be.**

That said, enjoy!

* * *

Sun and Claire were asked to get Kate and if they happened to stumble upon Juliet, to bring her as well to the beach.

For that same reason, although the reason didn't seem urgent, the Korean and blonde Australian set off in the woods direction to find the fugitive.

They hurried their pace upon hearing what sounded like a strangled cry and took off worried about any of them being captured by The Others.

Because they didn't want to startle whoever could be holding one of them captive, or the other way around, they slowed down and hunched behind a set of high grass and saw Kate resting her slightly arched and clothed back on a fallen trunk with her eyes closed.

Claire moved a little to the left to get the complete picture and gasped when she saw a very familiar blonde mane buried between the brunette's legs greedily ravishing the brunette's center, eliciting the loud moans and screams they could hear from a mile away. Although she could tell Kate was trying to keep it down, Juliet's attack on her pussy left her unable to restrain herself from the moans trying to escape her mouth. Whatever Juliet was doing with her tongue, it was driving Ms. Austen crazy.

Sun turned to Claire and scooted closer when Claire motioned her to, and stared inquisitively at the smirking and blushing mother.

"What is it?"

Claire giggled and pointed 'discreetly' towards the writhing woman. "OH!" Sun let out a stream of Korean exclamations. "…!"

"Shh!" The blonde reprimanded lowering herself to the ground pulling Sun with her.

"Is that… is that _Juliet_?" She whispered agitatedly.

Claire giggled and was about to answer when-

"_God! Juliet! Right there_!"

The hidden women turned to each other blushing and opening their mouths wide.

"Oh yes… I _think_ that is Juliet." Claire said smirking.

"Oh my God." Sun shook her head in bewilderment. "I thought they hated each other."

"Yeah, well you know what they say, there's a thin line between love and hate."

"You think they are…?"

"I don't know but-"

_"Ugh! Yes!"_

_"You like that?" Came Juliet's husky muffled voice._

_"Fuck yes!" Kate shuddered and buckled her hips harder._

They exchanged glances again.

"Never thought I would be a peeping Tom." The Aussie announced smiling goofily and constantly moving to get a better view, with Sun in tow.

The raven-haired cocked her head. "Peeping Tom?"

"You know, a voyeur?"

"At least they don't have to worry about getting pregnant." Sun giggled. "But, I don't understand, I thought Juliet was with Jack and Sawyer with Kate now."

"So did the rest of us. But, none of them are officially together, so I'm guessing they are free to do whatever they want."

"Now I understand why Kate comes out of woods sometimes stumbling and blushing."

"Sun!" Claire chastised.

"It is true! I've seen her and it's funny because whenever I saw Kate, I would see Juliet sporting a smirk and looking shamelessly satisfied. I thought it was because they had been fighting. You know how good Juliet is with words."

"_Oh my, Oh God!"_

"And her tongue apparently."

They giggled some more like high school girls before Sun turned to Claire. "Maybe we should give them more time to…" She trailed off blushing and gesturing with her hands. "And then we come back to get to the beach. Jack didn't say it was urgent."

"Yeah. I guess you are right, we should make some noise to let them know."

Claire guessed what they were currently witnessing explained why she would notice a goofy grin on her friend's face or why the two women currently having passionate wild sex would be missing for hours, supposedly getting fruit. They were good enough to at least come back with some.

And as Sun had mentioned, and now that she thought about it, she too did notice how Kate sometimes could barely work straight and barely from any phrase that would make sense. She used to blame it on the heat, seeing as Kate always came back sweaty and flushed from the jungle, short-breathed, and they all knew Kate had an adventurer spirit so she didn't worry about her much. Apparently it was some other type of heat.

Knowing this, it would also explain why Juliet's usually neat hair was sometimes an unusual mess and her clothes a little rumpled, with her face red, short-breathed and sweaty and she would see Kate strolling the beach wearing that devilish grin of hers for no reason apparent.

So that meant… Claire gasped; they had been doing it ever since they got back! Oh, you bet she was going to kill Kate. Why hadn't Austen talked to her about it?

Claire jumped when Sun shoulder her lightly. "What?"

"We should go." Sun raised that impish eyebrow of hers.

"Right." She said getting to her feet heading towards the creek's direction.

She couldn't deny it. She loved Kate as a sister but… woah! Kate and Juliet? Kate _and_ Juliet? That is all kinds of hot and sexy and many lusty terms. She couldn't help if it got her a little hot under the collar and for what could see, it got her Korean friend hot as well.

"So uhm, have you ever… you know been with a girl?"She asked upon reaching the creek.

"Me?" Sun seem surprised. "No. No never."

"Huh. Really?"

"Yes. What about you Claire?"

"Is that a proposition?" She asked.

"What? No, no!" Sun blushed and shook her head vigorously.

"Hahaha. Relax Sun. I was just kidding. Yes, I've been with a woman before. You know, teenager, rebelling and all that stuff. And hormonal at best."

"Was she your girlfriend?"

"Well, she was a friend but no, we were… fuck buddies."

Sun chuckled and washed her face and hands. "I see."

"_Ugh! Fuck!"_

"Oh my God." Sun shook her head. "Kate's never been this loud."

"Aha… and just how would you know about that?" Claire narrowed her eyes at her. "Thought you'd never been with a woman before."

"I resent that implication." Sun swatted at Claire's hand, who laughed in response, and shook her head. "I didn't mean it like that. Two nights ago, I got up to get some water and saw Kate entering Sawyer's tent. I think I don't have to explain why she was there. Then about an hour later I saw her leave his tent and go to hers. I didn't hear anything."

"You couldn't sleep?" Her friend guessed.

"No. I was worried about what Juliet told me."

Claire placed a comforting hand on the Korean's lap. "Don't worry. Everything is going to be alright. We're gonna get off this bloody island. With the scientists here and the helicopter, you're going to have your baby far away from here."

"I really hope so." She paused contemplating the last events for the past week. "There's something about them…" She said referring to the scientists.

"I know. In any case, we should go get them. I don't think they would like Jack to find them like that, so, we are really doing them a favor."

"You just want to see them doing it." Sun accused.

"Oh, like I am the _only _one." Claire shrugged. "Hey, I'm just doing Jack a favor. Plus, I can't complain if I get an eyeful of what's going on. Call it…collateral damage."

Sun just chuckled along Claire and together they walked back to Kate.

* * *

Upon arrival, they noticed two things.

One, somehow the women managed to get rid of their clothing. More like tear their clothing apart judging by the discarded shredded tank top, Claire dully noticed.

Two, it was Juliet's turn to be dominated, mercilessly teased and pleasured.

The women were standing and Kate had Juliet pinned against a tree and her hand rhythmically disappeared between the blonde's legs, with one wrapped around her waist, evoking the blonde's gasps and moans.

What Sun however also noticed, was the way they stared at each other. So raw and intense that made the scene that much more appealing and interesting. How their eyes held their unique fierceness, character, and emotions and how just but a mere connection of their eyes, they could communicate to each other how they felt without the need of words. How deeply connected these women from different worlds were and how much they resembled and understood each other.

The Aussie and Korean stood a good distance away from them and moved stealthily to the path that came from the beach and slowly made their way to Kate and Juliet, speaking in a raised volume and made _a lot _of noise to inform the others of their presence.

As much time as they had given them, at least two minutes, to break apart and get dressed, they found the women rushing to put their clothes back on and stumbling to do so.

So when they crossed the high set of grass and stopped at the clearing, Juliet had just finished putting her shirt over her head and pasted that indifferent mastered mask of hers. Kate, on the other hand, was caught with her pants midway up, her bum in the air and a rumpled tank top on. Next to her feet, were the remains of what used to be a favorite tank top of hers and, thankfully, hidden underneath it were Juliet's (shredded) panties.

Kate froze when she saw, not one, but two of her friends staring at them in mid shock and a hint of smugness on their expressions.

Just for good measure, the women that caused them to break apart gasped as if in shock.

"I never knew collecting fruit could be this fun." The Aussie sad causing her friend to, both, glare at her and blush. "Uhm… if you two are done _collecting_ _fruit, _Jack needs you at the camp." Claire raised her brows at Kate before turning away.

Sun just stared at them with the intent of making Kate nervous, which she totally succeeded at, and gave them an unreadable look before addressing them. "Kate, Juliet." And with that she left following Aaron's mother back to the beach.

* * *

Finally, Kate and Juliet met Jack, Sayid, Claire, Sun and Jin at the camp.

As usual, they had an alibi. They brought some fruit back with them.

"Great. You're here. Now…" Jack started sharing his thoughts and plans with them.

They all had arrived at the conclusion that they were wary of Dan, Charlotte and Miles, and decided someone needed to get some information out of them.

That is when Claire proposed a candidate. "Juliet seems to have a sharp and _skillful _tongue." She surreptitiously gave a very meaningful glance in Kate's direction. "She should do it."

Sun suppressed a chuckled and nodded her approval alongside the others.

"Alright." Jack said and moved closer to Juliet giving her one of his gentle smiles placing a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you."

"No problem." She smiled back.

Claire and Sun pretended they didn't see when Kate's back straightened and her muscles tightened when Jack approached and touched Juliet.

They also pretended not to see how she clenched her fists and glared at Jack's retreating back.

And so Claire and Sun exchanged glances over Kate's tensed shoulders before smiling to each other and going their separate ways.

It was definitely more than sex.

But then again, nothing was ever simple when it came to Juliet Burke and Katherine Austen.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Lost is not mine and will never be.**

That said, enjoy!

After 21 chapters I've just noticed chapter 1 is repeated so sorry!

* * *

This…_thing_ between them had started with a mango. A mango found of gravity at that.

Perhaps it had started before and, if Kate were true to herself, she could say it had started at the Hydra Station. That place where they – Jack, Kate and Sawyer – were being held as prisoners and forced to break _their_ bones breaking _stones_. That place where The Others experimented with them and with people, their own people, who were suddenly deem unwanted.

Back then, she didn't see much of the Juliet. Apparently, Juliet was a favorite of Jack's and Ben's, and the man had kept her with the doctor. But even then, whenever she saw glimpses of bouncing blonde hair and the face and body that went with it, Kate had found herself inexplicably attracted to her.

Perhaps it was Kate's own curious and risky nature that found her _alluring_.

She wanted to meet this woman who exuded waves of confidence and indifference.

She wanted to know why Juliet had been the only one to react fast and oh so calmly when Sawyer (James as she had called him) made and escape attempt in the work site.

What made the single woman out of a bunch of men stand out– aside from the obvious – so evidently and so much more captivating and interesting? So much powerful than them; powerful without the need to bragging. To emphasize. To remind them of her position above them. She just stood there calmly taking all in and possibly formulating plans every passing second.

Kate remembered the first contact of skin between them. How the blonde pulled her to her and she had let herself be brought closer without the need of a gun being pointed at her. Because when Juliet did it, she did it without a gun. And Kate thought that she did so because the woman was sure Kate could feel the powerful waves of control and warning coming from her. And Kate did. She felt it. But she felt much more.

Juliet hadn't been rough. In fact, the contact was minimal. Almost feathery. But for that same reason, the woman intrigued the brunette even more. She simply slid a hand through her arm and closed her hand around it taking all the time in the world. As if she were in absolute control of the situation and she was.

The blonde firmly and coldly called his name. A simple passing of air through her mouth and movement of her tongue caused the man to stop and turn around. And a simple movement of her arm and a gun was pointed in Kate's direction. Juliet knew just where to attack and who to hit.

No rocket science there.

Anyway, the blonde managed to capture Kate's attention and uneasiness, which further increased when she helped them escape. Not to mention hundreds of question arising which added to the other few hundred that Kate had when it came to Juliet.

Oh, and that very special time they spent running around the jungle trying to get back to Jack.

Kate had many 'found' memories of her time with Juliet. Before they became intimate.

So back to the mango.

It had been the day after they arrived back to the camp sporting a new 'member' to their exclusive camp.

It is not really necessary to mention how wary people of Juliet were, so the blonde kept to herself and hanged around with Jack because of the doctor's natural caring and nice nature. And he was the one to have the final say whether she was with them or not.

So the day after they arrived, Kate had been up on a mango tree retrieving some of its fruit when a very small one, thankfully, had slipped from her hand and onto an unexpected blonde's head.

"Ow! Hey no need to throw them at me, you know? I have enough with the stares I get." Juliet said rubbing her bruised head before putting on her cold mask.

Kate almost let go of the tree risking being part of one of the things that crushed the blonde and her heart started beating faster.

"Sorry!" She apologized wincing and then composed herself. "It's not my fault gravity exists."

"Or that you have slippery hands I suppose." Juliet said crouching down to retrieve the innocent green mango. "Why did you choose this one? It's still green."

"I didn't choose it. I was merely moving it to the side to get another one."

"So why did you throw it at me?"

Kate gritted her teeth. Juliet was talkative today. Which was a rare occurrence because the blonde was, or at least portrayed herself as, a woman of few words with powerful meanings.

"I didn't-" She stopped and sighed. "Maybe it was because I don't like you. Think of it as payback for making me break rocks all day."

"Well that's certainly quite the steal." The blonde commented. "But I didn't make you break any rocks Kate."

"You didn't? You-"Kate stopped herself yet again. It was too easy to lose her self-control in the blonde's presence.

_Is she baiting me?_

She thought as she grabbed a few more mangoes and started climbing down.

"Maybe you didn't but you stood there and commanded everyone around you. Including the ones that threaten us to keep on 'working' or they would kill us. So, yeah, you did make me break rocks all day for _days_." The brunette pointed out once she was on the ground.

"I was merely following a set of orders. And I was there to supervise."

"Why did you help us?" The brunette asked a question that had been bothering her for days. "Why kill one of you to help escape two of us?"

"Is it not obvious?"

"No _Juliet_ it isn't. Otherwise I would not be asking."

"I think you are asking because you need to hear it. You need me to confirm what you suspect. Or better, what you know."

"What are you, a shrink now?" Kate shook her head and laughed. "And what would that be? What is that you think I think of you?"

"That I'm different from them."

"No, blondie. That's where you are wrong. _Them_ does not apply when it is you talking about them. When it comes to you talking about them, you should refer to them as _us_, cuz that is what you are and will always be. One of them. Never one of us."

"Then why am I still here Kate? You know you wouldn't have allowed Jack to bring me all the way here, to your friends and _your_ people, if I were a threat to all of you. So, why did you let him?"

Kate frowned. "Because they left you behind."

"And you felt sorry for me?"

"You did lie to stay with me, so _I_ wouldn't leave you behind. So yeah, I did-do feel sorry for you."

"What I don't understand Kate is why did you let Jack bring me with you? Why, after _I_ made you break rocks all day? Aren't I, in your eyes, one of them? Don't I deserve to be left behind?"

"Not just in my eyes." The brunette reminded as an answer ignoring the last question. Or rather most of them.

"You still have not answered my question." Juliet spoke ignoring her as well.

"I asked you one first." Yet another mental slap to Kate.

"My answer is the same as yours, Kate, I assure you." The blonde calmly spoke.

Kate narrowed her eyes at her and glared enthusiastically.

_Maybe, if I close my eyes, she'll just go away? No? Maybe if a glare some more?_

Kate sighed resignedly when none of it worked and the blonde was still there with that annoying calm expression of hers. As if Kate's glare meant nothing. As if it didn't affect her at all.

"Why are you here? And I mean here, as of now, standing in front of me?" Kate clarified.

Juliet stared back at her for a couple of minutes making Kate uncomfortable before answering.

"Jack sent me to get you."

"And you waited all this time to tell me?"

Juliet merely shrugged. "Didn't seem important."

"And he just sent you? You?"

"Do you see somebody else with us?" Juliet motioned around them.

"He _sent _you. Aha. And you did what he told you too."

"He trusts me. And I thought it would be nice a change of scenery."

"He trusts you." Kate raised her eyebrows.

"We have something in common. A common interest as well."

"And what is that?"

"You." And with that the blonde spun on the heels of her feet and walked back to the beach. "Oh, and he says you should meet him by the church." She threw over her shoulder nonchalantly.

Kate watched her go confused and frowning for all she was worth.

"Me?"

_What did she mean by that?_

The brunette groaned and picked up the young, unripe mango.

"Did you really have to fall on her? Her, of all people, you couldn't have just chosen another victim could you?" She shook her head and got up.

_She really does confuse the hell out of me._

She thought to herself dryly before shouldering her backpack and walking back to the camp immersed in her thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**I'm not exactly following the events that took place on the seasons (3-4) so bear with me.

r&r!

* * *

Kate came out of the jungle walking distractedly carrying her backpack full of fruit and walked to the kitchen to store them there.

_What did she mean by that?_

She came to a halt when she noticed Jack and Juliet sitting together and laughing so easily with each other.

The doctor was in front of the blonde checking her fresh new lump that surely was caused when the wayward mango hit her head, while the blonde was softly laughing at something the doctor was saying.

Kate narrowed her eyes feeling the uncomfortable fluttering in her stomach increase at the sight and continued glaring at them with the constant narrowing of her eyes and scowl in her mouth betraying her annoyance whenever the two people had any kind of physical contact.

"Hey there Freckles. What's got you all worked up? Surely you've been thinking of me." Sawyer said cheekily suddenly appearing next to her.

"Not now Sawyer."

Sawyer rolled his eyes and turned to see what had captured the immobile brunette's attention.

"Well, well, well, it sure seems Jacko has found himself a new honey. Now, what d'you make of that sweetheart?"

She clenched her fists and hotly replied. "They are not- they're not _sweethearts_. They're just annoyingly…"

"What?" The man prompted.

"Nothing."

"Don't tell me you're jealous?" He snickered frowning. "It seems the blonde bitch has taken good ol' Dr. Shepard right out of your hands in your face. Gotta give her props for that. She sure moves fast. The lady knows right where to strike."

"Shut up." She growled at him. "Is there something you want Sawyer?"

"Well aren't you in a mood today." He rolled his eyes at her. "I was just coming to say 'hi'. Hadn't seen you today. But look what I got for my trouble." He started walking away and muttered. "I guess I should have been a doctor." A snort. "Women."

Kate sighed feeling a little bit bad for her attitude towards the man, but couldn't help the slight growl that escaped her throat when Jack got up and placed a hand on Juliet's shoulder giving it a slight squeeze along with his charming smile before walking away towards the church's direction.

She inhaled deeply when Juliet calmly turned and met her eyes holding her stare steadily making her heart beat faster.

"Hey, Kate. Kate?"

The brunette shook herself out of her reverie and the increasingly uncomfortable staring session turning around to find a worried Sun looking at her.

"What is it?"

"Are you okay? You are really red. Maybe you should lie down and have some water."

"Oh, no don't worry Sun. I'm okay. It is just the heat." She frowned, feeling the internal heat on her face, which apparently could also be seen externally, and shook her head at herself.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." She smiled. "Don't worry. Listen, Jack told me to meet him by the church. Do you know why?"

"No."

"Okay, thanks. I brought some fruit. See you later."

"Thank you." Sun smiled unsurely watching the brunette walk away and give a wide berth to Juliet, sending her furtive glances and walking far away from the increasingly smug blonde.

"Hey Sun. What's for breakfast?" Claire asked bouncing a happy Aaron in her arms. "Say hello to auntie Sun, baby." The Australian woman waved his small hand at the raven-haired woman.

"Hi." Sun smiled happily at them. "The usual. Cereal, fruit?"

"Fruit would be fine."

"Okay." Sun said gathering some bananas and mangoes.

"Oh, no. It's alright, I'll do it."

"Claire, I'll do it, I don't mind."

"No really, it's no problem. Do you mind holding him? I need to rest my arms for a while."

"Sure." The Korean woman happily received the camp's youngest star.

"So… did you and Kate fight or something?"

"What? Why would you say that?"

"Oh, cuz when I was on my way over here I saw you looking at a pissed off Kate after she talked to you so, I guess I just thought..."

"Oh no, we did not fight. It probably was because she was talking to Sawyer. But she was acting weird."

"I know right? She's been acting weird ever since they got back. Why do you think that is?"

"I guess it has to do with that Juliet woman." Sun said glancing around and resting her gaze on said woman.

"Well I don't blame her then. I don't know why Jack trusts her. As far as I'm concerned, I want her far away from my baby."

"Do you think she's like…Ethan?"

Claire stopped slicing and took a deep breath. "I really hope she isn't. Because she so much looks at Aaron the wrong way and I swear I'll kill her. I won't let them take my baby away from me."

"What do you think happened? Jack doesn't seem to be too happy at Kate."

"I don't know. It probably is because, well you know, Sawyer. Kate seems to have gotten closer to him when they were being held by them."

Sun shook her head and smiled at the baby currently trying to eat her hair. "It sure is complicated between them."

"Do you think Jack is interested in Juliet?" Claire asked fixing two bowls with fruit for them.

Sun mulled it over placing Aaron on the 'counter' and feeding him a small slice of banana. "He's been smiling more often with her around." She paused. "I think Kate got mad at that. Jack was checking Juliet's head. She came from the woods with a bruise. I don't think she liked them being so close."

Claire swallowed and nodded. "I suppose. Jack looks more relaxed around Juliet."

"For all we know, Kate might have been the reason behind that bruise." Sun joked.

The Aussie laughed. "And I wouldn't blame her. Go Kate!"

* * *

"Hey." Kate greeted.

"Hey."

"So… what did you want to talk to me about?"

"What is that on your hand?" Jack asked cocking his head to the side.

Kate frowned before looking down. "Oh." She said upon noticing she still had the mango tightly grasped on her hand. "Just a mango."

"Would that happen to be the mango that fell on Juliet by any chance?" Jack smiled.

"What, did she go running and complaining to you, telling you a story about me trying to kill her or something?" She bitterly asked.

"What? No. No, she just told me there was an accident involving her head and a mango. A green mango."

"Good, cuz it was an accident." Kate crossed her arms over her chest defensively.

"So… why did you throw it at her?"

"I didn't-" A pause. "I didn't throw it at her. It _fell,_ okay? It threw itself at her if you will but I did not throw it!"

"Hey, relax. I was just kidding. Thought we could use a laugh." He said showing her his palms.

"She did kinda make me wish I had though." She shook her head and gave him a small smile. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Anyway, I wanted to ask you if it is okay with you if Juliet helps you with the fruit collecting."

"What?"

"Listen I know you don't like her and I'm not asking you to, but, I trust her."

"That's just it Jack; people's doubting you now. How can you trust her? She's one of them."

"She helped you and Sawyer escape, Kate. Did you forget that already? They left her behind."

"Doesn't mean that makes her trustworthy. They play mind games. That's what they do. They destroy. They are sneaky and downright evil."

"Look, I already said I don't have to explain myself to any of you. I've gotten us this far, and all I'm asking for you is to trust me. Not her, but me." He shook his head. "So, Kate, is it okay if Juliet joins you?" His voice held a hard tone. "You don't have to do it together. I'm just letting you know she'll be collecting and… if you could maybe show her around?" He got out the last part cautiously.

"You show her around." She stubbornly retorted.

"Kate…"

"Fine! But I do one side, she does the other. Far away from each other, okay? And tell her not to speak to me. She… confuses me and I don't like it." She sulked.

Jack frowned and gave her a weird look for which he got a glare in response.

"I just need to know you are not gonna tear each other apart, okay?"

Kate glowered at him looking at something over his left shoulder.

"Fine."

"Okay, thanks." Jack smiled squeezing her shoulder. "I appreciate it." He walked away smiling at a passing Hurley.

Kate nodded and called after him. "Why do you trust her anyway?"

Jack looked at her over his shoulder. "Because she is different."

"Not you too." She rolled her eyes heavenwards.

"Just watch out for that falling fruit." He shrugged again giving her a lopsided grin and with that he left leaving Kate to grit her teeth sulkily.

She shook her head and stared at the mango for a moment deciding whether to toss it out or not.

After a moment of consideration, she slid the mango into her cargo pants' pocket and walked towards her tent.

She dropped her backpack into her makeshift tent and glanced around the beach snickering when she saw Jack's and Juliet's smiling features.

_"_What's so great about her anyway?"

She spat out dropping down ungracefully on her bed continuing to watch the 'couple' from her spot, getting angrier with every passing minute the doctors got along, finally opting to do something else when Juliet's casual caress on Jack's cheek caused her an extremely uncomfortable, yet faintly familiar, fluttering in her stomach and that annoying strange rapid beating of her heart, making her narrow her eyes at them even more.

She got up and walked towards Sawyer whom she could share her mutual dislike for the 'blonde bitch' (as Sawyer had so eloquently called her) with.

"She's not different at all." She muttered moodily.

_Not different at all._


	4. Chapter 4

_I should have been a Doctor._

Kate thought grumpily while walking (more like stomping) through the woods towards the lake to wash her face and maybe take a swim.

The past day's events had earned the blonde doctor some trust an acceptance in the group when she used a serum to save Claire's life.

Although Kate was thinking it had being awfully convenient how the timing seemed to suit the blonde's arrival to the camp and the perfect excuse to be trusted; somewhere deep inside her she was gratefully relieved the doctor seemed different, which she had reluctantly admitted to some molecular level to herself anyway.

So there she was ready to collect some fruit with Juliet for the first time, when the male doctor approached them.

"Can I talk to you for a sec?" He asked the blonde.

The blonde nodded and they moved a few feet away.

Kate growled impatiently and removed the cap to her bottle filled with water and took a healthy swig before turning around and starting towards the jungle.

_She can find her own fruit on her own. Not my fault if she can't find her way back._

She thought taking the first few steps.

Just then she heard the blonde laugh with Jack in tow and then Juliet have a glowing smile to Dr. Shepard, making her stop and turn around to stare at them.

"_Not really, it looks good on you."_ Jack said motioning to something on the blonde's head, most likely the lump left behind by a very familiar green mango.

_"Dully noted. Didn't know you were into that." _Juliet said raising her eyebrows at him. "_Should I be worried?"_

_"Oh, no! I-" _Jack blushed and laughed. "_No, no, I didn't mean it like that."_

"_You sure?"_ The blonde playfully narrowed her eyes at him.

_"Yes, I'm sure. Stop putting words in my mouth. I guess I did bring that on myself."_

"_You sure did." _Juliet shook her head laughing with that sparkly laugh of hers.

_ "I'm a Doctor. I was trying to make you feel better. I hear lumpy is the new black."_

_"God, let's hope not."_ Juliet said taking a hand to her head and gently touching her small, yet significant, lump.

They laughed some more making Kate snort loudly which was unfortunately (for her) noticed by the doctors.

"Sometime today would be nice." She grouched.

Juliet turned to Jack and touched his arm. "See you later."

Jack grabbed his backpack. "I'll come with you," He turned to Kate. "If that's okay."

Kate narrowed her eyes at him and turned on her feet again walking to the awaiting mango trees and fruit trees. "Sure. That'll be _lovely_."

_Why me?_

Was the miserable thought running around through her head on an endless loop.

She thought having to spend most of the day with Juliet was going to be tedious but now that Jack had joined them, she wondered if she had accidentally jinxed the day this morning when she got up and made a no so nice comment about the oncoming day. Having to hear them talk and gush around each other was sure going to drive her crazy till she practically wished the freaking black smoke monster came to find her and freed her of this torture. Plus having to see them _touch_ each other, come in contact physically, was surely going to cause her a seizure or her teeth to crack for the sure gritting she was going to be doing.

Kate led the way with the two chattering doctors following her tail.

_Maybe a mango could knock both of them out._

She thought throwing her green companion in the air, catching it and winced at the thought. She didn't wish Jack any harm, but honestly, if the mango only knocked out the blonde, then Jack would be running his hands all over her. If the mango knocked Jack out, then the touching and checking over would be done by the blonde. But – and that was a _very_ important but – if the mango (or mangoes) knocked the both of them out then no touching of each other would happen and that would be a blessing and totally make Kate's day.

They stopped, Kate signaled some trees, collected some fruit from some trees and kept of moving.

After a while Kate suddenly stopped, rolled her eyes, threw her arms up in the air and slumped down her shoulders when she heard and saw them laugh and touch _again_ at something that made _absolutely_ no sense at all, which probably was an inside joke – which made her annoyance spike up considerably – or some kind of doctors joke meant for doctors only, before calling out after them.

"Look, since _you_ are here," She said looking at Jack who partially turned around. "You can show her around I'll do the other side 'kay?" She gritted out before stalking away.

The doctors turned around stunned.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Jack called after the now blurry brunette.

The brunette said something that sounded suspiciously like 'somewhere not here, far away from you' to him.

He turned to Juliet.

"I think she doesn't like me." Juliet said half-seriously.

"You think?" He shook his head.

"I kinda gathered that when she looked close to throwing me another mango. A big one at that."

Jack paused and frowned. "Really? I could have sworn I saw her aiming at me."

"Now, why would she do that?" Juliet asked interested.

"I'm not very liked these days."

Juliet sighed. "That's because of me."

"It'll pass. Sooner or later they'll realize you are different."

"In the mean time, I'll better watch out for brunettes perched on fruit trees."

Jack laughed. "She'll come around."

The doctors resumed their walk and continued their fruit hunting duties.

* * *

Meanwhile the sulky brunette took off her pants and tank top before walking to the waterfall.

_I should have definitely been a doctor._

She thought again.

_That way he- SHE wouldn't touch her- him so much. That way, if I were a doctor he would touch me and not him- her! Damn!_

She groaned at her scrambled thoughts.

"If I were a doctor maybe they wouldn't be so focused on each other." She spoke out loud sitting down a stream of water enjoying it cascading down her body. "They could say, 'Hey, there's Kate! She's a doctor! Let's touch her as well! Let's be all touchy together!'" She exclaimed unhappily tapping her hand against the rock.

She frowned.

_Uh… no. That came out wrong. Although I wouldn't mind Ju- no!_

She groaned again and gave a pathetic whimper to herself before closing her eyes resting her back against the cold rock.

She tried to keep her thoughts at bay, and any kind of talking to herself, wanting to keep her brain from frying with her confusing thoughts.

After a while she couldn't help but recall that minor incident at the jungle.

She had been up on a tree, while Jack was putting away some fruit on his back pack and then Juliet climbed down a tree with a smudge of dirt on her face.

Said smudge of dirt was then wiped clean by none other than Jack and Jack's thumb.

Kate -who at the time held a mango between her hands- glared at them and noticed how conveniently they were under a set of ripe mangoes.

She put the mango in her backpack and automatically aimed for the blonde's position reaching for the appropriate fruit before something strange happened and her arm stretched itself out to the mango directly on top of the male doctor and gave it a slight shake making her eyes widen.

Kate sighed with relief when the fruit firmly held onto the tree for dear life and remained there and out of the corner of her eye she saw the doctors look up and scurry away.

Perhaps she shook the fruit harder than she thought.

In any case, it lead her to believe the doctors had now the impression that she wanted to kill them because they refrained from being on the ground when she was up on a tree.

They would wait till she finished collecting and safely zipped up her backpack before descending themselves after her.

So now there she was trying to relax and figure out her body's strange reactions.

She decided that fruit collecting might turn out to be dangerous with the blonde woman around.

Especially when Jack was around.

She had decided that being around Juliet was bad for her. And being around Juliet _plus_ Jack was definitely detrimental to her health, both mental and physical, because she had stumbled today more times that she would care to admit in the presence of those two, finally opting for walking behind them so they wouldn't notice.

And God, she hoped they hadn't noticed.

She didn't want them to know how affected she was by them. Especially _her_.

Not that a thankfully failed attempt - which was_ totally_ unconscious and her hand just seemed to suffer a little bit of Parkinson or that Alien hand syndrome – helped her with trying to seem totally unaffected.

_Why me?_

Kate sighed again

_It has got to be Karma. There's no other explanation._


	5. Chapter 5

**Enjoy!**

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"I don't like you."

"…"

"I said I don't like you."

"I know Kate. It's the twelfth _consecutive_ time you've mentioned it since we left. So, yeah, I heard ya."

"Whatever. I don't like you. At all."

Kate reprimanded herself at her attitude; she hated that she tended to behave _a little_ childishly when it came to the older woman.

"Yeah well it's getting to be really annoying. So could you please stop doing that?"

"I'm just voicing how I feel about you. Freedom of speech right?"

"And you've made it very clear. So could you please don't like me in silence?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, is it bothering you?"

"…"

"Well I'm not exactly having a picnic with you either."

"I told you I could do the other side but you said 'no'."

"I don't trust you. I'm not gonna let you out of my sight just because I don't like you."

"So don't complain about my presence and stop whining."

"Then say something."

"You told Jack, he should tell me not to speak to you… so, make up your mind. Should I or should I not speak to you?"

"Whatever. Just… say something. You're eerily quiet."

"What should I say?"

"I don't know. What is your… favorite color?"

Juliet laughed. "Are you serious?"

Kate glared at her and walked faster. "Whatever. I was just trying to be nice."

"Oh c'mon Kate." The blonde said catching up. "You caught me off guard, that's all."

"…"

"Blue. Blue is my favorite color."

"Why?"

"Cuz I look good in blue."

Now it was Kate's turn to laugh. "Really? That's why?"

"Yeah. And it's a beautiful color too."

"It is…" The brunette said looking at Juliet's eyes. When she realized what she was doing, she shook her head and cleared her throat. "Alright. We're here."

Kate started climbing a tree and watched how the blonde merely poked with a stick a small tree's fruit.

"So… what's your deal with Jack?"She asked trying to sound as if she was just making conversation.

Juliet paused and stared at the brunette who was avoiding her eyes by picking mangos.

"I like him. He's a nice guy."

"So are you like interested in him?"

"Interested as in…?"

"You know, romantically."

Juliet smirked and cocked her head. "Well, I won't lie to you that, yes, he is my type and sometimes it feels as if we've know each other from before, but… well you would know he's not interested in me."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Kate grumped.

"Why would you say that?"

"Well-" Kate paused, sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "He's been… happier since you've been here with us and I can see he is interested in you."

"Maybe if we weren't here, maybe in other circumstances we'd be together but, it is not something I actually want right now. It's nice getting to know each other and getting to be friends somewhat, and I hope it stays that way and I know he does as well."

"So… back to my question. Are you romantically interested in him?"

"No."

"Oh. Good!" Kate spoke a little too soon and enthusiastically, and when she realized, she blushed and stammered. "I-I-I mean!…errr…well you know… it is just that… not good as in good, because I'm… or….uh…" Juliet just raised her eyebrows at her."It just doesn't seem as if the two of you want to befriend each other. I mean, if I wanted to befriend someone I wouldn't touch them as much, there are boundaries you know? And you two have been… pretty touchy feely and well I just don't feel comfortable with him touching you so much." She mumbled the last part but the blonde still picked it up.

"Kate, are you jealous?"

"What? Pff! No. All I'm saying it is just uncomfortable watching you guys be like that. And I'm not the only one that feels that way."

Juliet shrugged and went back to poking fruits. "It sounds to me like you are jealous."

"I'm not jealous."

Juliet didn't say anything back and picked the fruits that she managed to poke loose to the ground and put them in her back pack.

"I'm not jealous." Kate emphasized.

"Okay."

Kate glared at her. "I'm not jealous of you if that's what you're saying. There is no reason why I should be jealous of you."

"I never said that. You know how Jack feels about you. Everyone does. Plus you are with James if I'm not mistaken. I think you made it very clear who you want between Jack and James."

"So what were you saying then?"

"It's not me I think you're jealous of."

"What is that- you know what? How about you resume your silent treatment and stop talking, alright?" Kate snapped.

"Okay."

Kate glared at the blonde's back, absentmindedly grabbing fruit.

After a while her anger began to dissipate and she concentrated on the task at hand, checking her backpack and noticing she had picked some fruit that were obviously too young to provide an appropriate nourishment.

Juliet on her part kept her serene face on and after a while started working out the kinks out of her back stretching and massaging while waiting for Kate to descend the tree.

It was in one of this massages Kate turned to stare at her and the woman let out a happy and satisfied moan, closing her eyes with a small smile and arching out her torso, when her upper back felt pleasantly nice and without any tension.

Kate stared wide eyed at her, noticing how proud Juliet's breasts stood, how her expression was relaxed. She felt her stomach flip, heart rate raise, her blood buzz in her ears and her temperature rise when Juliet moaned.

Juliet bent down to pick her bottle from the ground when she felt something hit the ground. Hard.

_THUD!_

Silence…

_Ow! Dammit!_

"Fuck!" Kate tried to get up and winced clutching her back.

"Are you okay?"The blonde asked barely containing her laughter.

_Great! Just great Katherine! Make a fool out of yourself, why don't you?_

The brunette chastised herself sourly.

"I'm fine." Kate snapped.

"Let me check." Juliet offered walking closer to her.

"I'm fine." Kate glanced up warningly.

"Kate you just fell on your back on a rock and winced when you tried to get up."

Kate glared at her and held onto the trunk for support, shuddering with the pang that ran through her lower back.

"I didn't fall."

Juliet raised her eyebrow. "Okay, then, you threw yourself to the ground. Still, let me check."

"I said I'm fine!"

"I'm just trying to help."

"I don't need your help."

Juliet sighed. "Why are you being like this? Look, just let me check your back okay?"

"Why are _you_ being like this? Think helping me is gonna earn you more trust? Like that well timed sickness of Claire and your convenient appearance and just knowing where the drugs were." Kate moved closer. "You don't have to fake with me Juliet. I don't trust you and I'll never will. You are one of them and that is something I'll never forget."

"It's not as if I was the one that pushed you."

"…"

Juliet glanced to the side and shook her head. "Fine. Be like that. But it still doesn't change the fact that you are hurt and I happen to be a doctor so let me check."

"Aren't you a fertility doctor? A researcher?"

"I went to medical school. Residency. Let me check. Bundle up your shirt for me please."

Kate snorted and looked defiantly back at her. "No."

"Fine then, I'll do it myself."

The blonde exhaled loudly and neared the brunette turning her around.

"Hey!" Kate jolted when Juliet's fingertips touched her skin.

"I asked you nicely. Now, don't complain."

"But-"

"Uh-uh." Juliet started exposing some of Kate's skin very slowly making the brunette shudder, blush and squirm. "Stop moving. Now, I'm gonna press down gently okay? Tell me if it hurts too much."

Kate nodded at a loss of words when she felt Juliet's soft voice next to her ear and hot breath ghosting over her skin.

"Ready?"

"Yeah." She winced when the blonde pressed down on a very sore spot. "Ow."

"Sorry. Does it hurt too much?"

"Uh… no, just enough to be…uncomfortable."

"You'll be fine. Some painkillers will suffice." The blonde said softly massaging Kate's back. "It may hurt when you walk for a while."

"Okay… errr… thanks." Kate said over her shoulder, guiltily enjoying the massage.

"See, that wasn't so bad, now was it?" Juliet offered a small smiled."When we get back, you should lie down. That way I can run a more thorough exam. It is nothing serious; you have nothing to worry about." The older woman patted her back softly before rearranging her shirt and moving away.

_A more… thorough exam…? What did she…did she…I'm totally reading too much into it, aren't I? _

"Kate?"

Kate groaned shaking her head.

"Kate! Are you okay? You didn't hit your head did you?" Juliet moved towards her again.

Kate whined pathetically and shook her head.

"__?" She mumbled.

"What was that?" Juliet gently took Kate's head in her hands and ran her fingers softly through her scalp checking her over.

Kate froze and stared wide eyed at the doctor.

"Uh… I'm starting to think I did."

"Are you okay? Have you eaten anything today?" Burke asked letting go of her and moving towards her backpack.

"Yeah… why?"

_God, her eyes are beautiful…_

"Water? You look about to faint." She said offering a bottle of water.

Kate shook her head accepting the liquid and moving away from her. "Yeah, I'm fine… It's just the heat, the sun..."

Juliet slanted her eyes slightly. "Yeah… the heat."

And when she turned, Kate swore there was a hint of a smirk on her lips.

_Oh that bitch!_


	6. Chapter 6

Hope you like it, enjoy!

* * *

"You should slow down." Juliet called from behind Kate.

"I'm not waiting for you." Kate bristled.

" Don't walk so fast."

"Why?"

"You are hobbling. You're only gonna hurt yourself if you keep walking so fast."

"I'm fine." Kate gritted her teeth.

"Kate."

"I'm. Fine. Now, stop pretending you care."

"Stop being so difficult. You're only going to hurt yourself."

"Oh please, shut up."

"Okay." Juliet dismissed. "Don't complain if you can't walk these next days."

"I'll be fine."

"You're over exerting your body."

"I always do, and I've always been fine."

"If you say so." Juliet gave up.

"Well, I do."

Kate kept her hurried and hobbling pace, while the blonde strolled airily and utterly calm through the woods taking her sweet time.

The younger woman winced with every step she took and tried her damnest to keep her hands by her sides and not massage her back.

After a while she stopped to catch her breath when the pain became just more than an uncomfortable to an unbearable searing ache.

She grunted when her back felt as if it had twisted on itself.

Juliet wordlessly glided to her side and took Kate's hands off her back replacing them with her own.

"Sit." She ordered.

"What are you doing?" Kate turned around.

Juliet locked eyes with her and placed hands on Kate's shoulder, pushing down gently so the brunette would follow her advice.

"Please." She said when the brunette refused to comply.

Kate startled at her words and tone, which told her the blonde was being completely honest.

Not trusting her mouth, which tended to be disconnected from her brain with Juliet, she nodded and sat on a fallen tree trunk.

Juliet slid behind her, placing her thighs at either side of her.

"Lean down." She commanded.

Kate did as she was told and shuddered when the blonde exposed her skin and the wind ran through it, making goosebumps appear over her sweaty skin.

"I'm all sweaty." She spoke self-consciously and inched away.

"It's alright."

"Doesn't it gross you out?" Kate cast a look over her shoulder.

"People sweat Kate."

"Yeah but you don't go touching every sweaty single one of them. Or… do you?"

Juliet laughed. "That I don't do. Look, you're sweaty, I'm sweaty and it is not as if you were sweating like a pig. It is just a very small layer of perspiration."

"You sure?"

She took Juliet's massaging warm hands as a yes.

The two sat there enjoying for the first time the silence between them.

"He defends you. I mean you were holding us captive and he defends you. I think he likes you. Isn't that called Stockholm syndrome or something?" Kate said breathing out slowly.

"Yes."

"So why is that? How did you brainwash him?"

"I used to grill his sandwich."

Kate stiffened blinked a couple of times.

"I seriously hope that is not a euphemism for getting horizontal, vertical and diagonal with him." The brunette asked horrified. "Please tell me it is not."

Juliet stared at her before laughing her ass off with Kate joining her after.

"No." She said once she got some precious air into her lungs. "No it isn't."

"Good. Cuz that would be a _very _disturbing way to put it."

Juliet laughed again. "Quite the mind you got there Kate."

"Hey, it sounded dirty okay?" Kate smiled and moaned when her back felt lighter than it did a few minutes ago. "God, that feels good…"

"I swear I didn't it mean it like that." Juliet said continuing the massage.

"Maybe I've been spending too much time with Sawyer."

"Maybe you have."

The women smiled and enjoyed the friendly silence.

"Is it true?" Kate spoke after the long pause.

"Is true what?"

"That you've been here for three years? Or did you lie to me?"

Juliet sighed. "Yes. I've been here for three years."

"How's it been?" Kate asked feeling Juliet's hands stop momentarily before resuming their actions.

Juliet snorted. "The truth? It's been hell."

"How did you even get here?"

"They recruited me."

"Told you they were bringing you to this hell hole to experiment with people and you accepted?"

The words sounded harsh, but the intent was not. It was utter curiosity.

"No." She stopped and Kate turned to face her. "I was recruited because I made possible for my infertile sister to have a son. To get pregnant. They said it was only going to be six months. Six months of research and practice that turned to years of death and crashed hopes and being under the control of a deranged man who plays mind games with every single person he comes across with simply because he can. Because he knows everything and he is a liar and he knows just how to play that to his advantage.

So no, Kate. I didn't know what I was signing up for, simply because they lied to me from the beginning and I believed them. And it is a decision I hate I made, because I'm here, on this fucking island because I chose to be, thinking I was doing the right thing. Fooled into it and I happily believed them. Because I wanted to help. I wanted to be able to deliver good news again. And they took advantage of that.

Whenever I mentioned I wanted to leave, that it was time for me to go home, he would say that I could save their lives. That if I stayed he was sure I would develop something to keep the mothers alive. That I had to help them. Otherwise they would die. But there was nothing I could do, Kate. I tried everything that crossed my mind and failed every time. Those women died on the table along with their child and every time I was told it would work next time. That I shouldn't stop trying. That one day I'd make a miracle happen. But that day never came and it never will. Because conceiving on this island is not an option. Because good news out there turn bad news in here. Because this place is hell, Kate."

Kate paid close attention to everything to blonde confessed. She saw how her features tightened when she spoke of Ben and all the broken promises and false hopes.

She noticed how the blonde longed to get back to her sister and nephew and how she wished more than anything in this world to leave this forsaken island. How she believed her own words. Because it was the truth. This place was hell.

Perhaps not to Kate. There was no one looking for her here and there were no awaiting handcuffs to close around her wrists, with the harsh reality that it had been her own blood that betrayed her.

Her mother.

And the group of people she had spent the last few months with, were friends and they became a big diverse family of stranded people.

But she had seen how unnatural this place was. How it changed people. How it challenged them.

And then, she had seen _them_.

And she realized the woman in front of them was never one of them.

"I'm sorry."

"Not your fault."

"I'm sorry you missed out on so much because of him."

"Thank you."

Kate nodded and got up.

"Thank you, for the… massage."

"Anytime."

Kate raised her brows. "Careful. I might just take you up on that offer."

Juliet shrugged. "I never offer what I can't give."

"As long as you don't expect me to return the favor."

"I think I deserve one for that mango you threw at me." The blonde raised her eyebrows expectantly.

Kate laughed and shook her head leading the way back to the camp.

"I still don't like you."

"You don't dislike me more than you did a few minutes ago." Juliet confidently stated.

"Perhaps."

"That's something." Juliet smiled happily making the other woman shake her head and smile despite herself.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hope you like it!**

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The women left the woods and once they got to the camp, each departed towards their own tents with no goodbye nor any lingering gazes.

_Absolutely none_.

Kate thought while she hobbled to her tent.

"Are okay dear?" Rose asked her.

"Oh, hi Rose. " She smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You were hobbling, what happened?" The black woman asked concerned placing a hand on the brunette's shoulder.

"Oh, I just fell."

"Are you okay? Where did you fall? What were you doing dear?"

"Oh, I just… lost my grip on the tree-"

"What's going on?" Claire asked. "I saw you limping. Did something happen? Did she try anything funny?" Claire asked in reference to Juliet.

"Oh,no. No she didn't. I just lost my grip and fell off the tree." She rushed to explain.

Rose merely raised an eyebrow. "You lost your grip?" She asked.

And something on the black woman's tone made Kate blush.

"And just how did that happen?" Bernard's wife inquired.

"Uh, well I was just getting off of it and my foot slipped and then I slipped and that's it."

"Mhm…Well you better get that check darling. There two doctors around here. Maybe one of them could help you out. I'm sure they both would be delighted to have you as a patient."

Kate nodded. "Yeah, thanks. I'll do that."

Rose nodded back and joined her husband at the kitchen with a knowing smile.

"You okay? She really didn't try to do anything?"

Kate nodded and rolled her eyes.

"Why would I cover up for her?"

Claire nodded. "You're right. It's just that… well she's one of them so, I can't help but feel wary of her." The Aussie sighed. "I know she saved my life but…"

"You and me both."

Kate sat down on the sand and Claire joined her.

"So, did you hit on her?" Claire asked smiling.

"What?" Kate's eyes bugged out.

"You know, Juliet. She had a bump the other day."

_Oh, did I hit her… I'm starting to hear things…._

"Oh no." Kate laughed. "No, that was a green mango's doing."

"So you threw it at her?" Claire frowned.

"No, no. I was up there and I was moving it around and it slipped from my hand and it happened to hit Juliet whom I had no idea was down there."

Claire laughed. "Sure."

"I swear. I did not throw it at her."

"Or you would have picked a bigger one." The Aussie offered laughing.

"Or I would have picked a bigger one." Kate laughed along.

After a while Claire got up.

"Anyway, you should probably lie down. Do you want me to get Jack to give you some painkillers?"

Kate smiled gratefully. "Would you mind?"

"Not all. Get some rest."

Kate nodded and got into her tent resting her weary body and wincing when her back protested against the movement.

The drapes to her tent moved to the side and revealed Jack.

"Hey." He said.

"Hey." She replied tiredly.

"How are you feeling?" He asked moving towards her.

"I'm okay.

"Claire said something about your back and you being in pain."

"Yeah. I fell"

"Wanna tell me how that happened?" He passed her some pills.

Kate took the pills surprised the male doctor wasn't aware of what had happened. Jack and Juliet were always swapping stories and in the time she was with Claire sitting in front of her tent she had seen the doctors talk.

"Lost my grip on the tree. Fell. Hit back pretty hard."

Jacked hummed. "Turn around. Let me check."

Kate did as she was told and soon found Jack's hands gently probing her back.

"So that's for the short version. What's the long version?" He asked.

"What do you mean? That's the only version."

"Kate, I know you. You are not a klutz."

"Hey, accidents happen."

"Okay, okay. I believe you." He laughed and stopped the probing covering Kate's skin with her shirt. "It's just that you've been having this 'accidents' more often with Juliet around."

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked turning around.

"Nothing. Maybe it is that she distracts you."

"Well she is pretty distracting." She blurted out and hastily corrected. "What with her weird way of speaking and weird things she says."

Jack laughed. "I think your feelings for her are impairing your motricity and comprehension."

"There are no feelings for her on my part." Kate glared at him.

"You don't like her and you make it very clear. With the glaring and all. That's animosity."

"Whatever."

Jack smiled and got up. "You'll be fine it's nothing." The doctor nodded and left the tent.

Kate on her part rolled on her stomach and closed her eyes wishing there was a massage of sorts done to her back. Again. By the same hands that had done it at the jungle.

_Agh! Where did that come from!_

Her mind freaked out while her body tensed and her eyes bulged out.

"I think I hit my head pretty hard and failed to notice. That's how bad the concussion was." She muttered and willed herself to sleep.

* * *

Kate woke up to the most beautiful sound she had ever heard.

The brunette rubbed her sleepy eyes and noticed how her back felt tons better.

She stretched her bruised body and winced when she did a little more than she currently could. She then stood up slowly and opened the drapes to her tent, shielding her eyes against the blinding sun light.

Austen instantly narrowed her eyes and scoffed when she saw the doctors huddled together and talking.

That's when she heard the blonde laugh and realized that, that had been the sound she found so beautiful and it made her roll her eyes at herself.

"Hey there freckles." She heard from her right.

_A distraction. Good._

She thought.

"Hey yourself."

"I heard your back is in pain."

"Yeah, you heard right."

"Anything I can do? I hear I have very talented hands." He said cheekily.

Kate laughed. "Do you now?"

"Yeah."

"Fine." Kate said and walked back to her tenth drawing back some of the drapes so Sawyer wouldn't get any funny ideas.

She lay on her stomach and waited for the massage to begin.

"So," Sawyer began. "What's with you and the blonde bitch?"

Kate stiffened and threw a look over her shoulder.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't think I haven't noticed a pattern."

Kate frowned. "What pattern?"

"Every time you and golden-locks go to get some _fruit_ one of you always comes back a little bruised."

Kate narrowed her eyes and turned towards him as much as her back allowed her to.

"What are you getting at?"

"Nothing. Just thought there could be more to it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Sawyer smiled. "Maybe you two get a little frisky with each other. Out in the hot and humid weather, all by yourselves… things are bound to get a little hot."

Kate swatted his arms away from her and glared at him.

"Are you serious?"

He showed the palms of his hands.

"Hey, all I'm saying is that it would be hot. I may not like her but the bitch has a nice body-"

Kate hit him on the head and Sawyer shielded himself laughing.

"You are unbelievable."

"Hey, I'm a man and you are two hot women, there's nothing I could do about that."

Kate shook her head. "I could say the same thing about Jack and you, yunnno? Every time you disappear together one of you always comes back bruised."

"Hey! I resent that implication. There's not a single part of me that doesn't like women."

"Huh, maybe that does it for you. Jack all sweaty, under the _hot and humid _weather." Kate teased smiling. "You're always eager to get physical with him."

"You're sick." Sawyer scoffed.

Kate laughed. "Didn't know you had a thing for Jack, Sawyer."

James got up and glared at her. "Oh, shut up, freckles!"

"You have it bad!"

The man glared at her once last time before stomping away.

Kate stood up and exited her tent still laughing.

Her laughter promptly died when she saw in the distance, what appeared to be the doctors, very close to each other laughing and smiling.

"Right, she's not interested in him at all." The brunette huffed out. "Liar."

The brunette turned her stare away and cocked her head when something captivated her attention.

There was one thing she could clearly see from where she was standing. In her tent, the mango stared back at her accusingly in all its green glory.

She narrowed her eyes at it solemnly and snorted.

"I'm not jealous." She told it.

When the mango did nothing but kept on being green, Kate snorted.

The brunette picked up a shirt and threw it at it successfully burying it underneath.

_I'm so not jealous._


	8. Chapter 8

Kate tried to keep out of the way of Jack and Juliet, but the doctors seemed to be everywhere she turned!

She tried to get some cereal from the kitchen, and there they were.

She went to her favorite spot on the beach and there they were.

She went back to the kitchen and there they were again!

_How do they move so fast? They're everywhere!_

She bristled. She wasn't moving as fast as she wished due to the ache in her lower back but she was sure as hell no snail would win a race against her.

Finally the night came and the brunette sat around the fire with Claire, the baby and Charlie making nice conversation.

Charlie got his guitar out and started playing a song of his to Aaron, making the women smile and some people join them.

Claire happily swung her son from side to side rhythmically.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Kate saw the now very familiar shapes of the doctors approaching who then joined the group, and the people decided they had given enough berth to Juliet for the day, so they just accepted her presence and made room for her.

As her luck would have it, the blonde sat right across from the fire in front of Kate and of course the male doctor sat down next to her.

She saw how Juliet stared longingly at Aaron and narrowed her eyes at the blonde but soon noticed that there was no malice behind the stare and she thought back to what the older woman had told her this afternoon.

Sure enough, after a while Juliet's stare turned inwards and Kate could tell the woman was immersed in her thoughts possibly recalling her past and time with her sister out there in the real word, as they had dubbed it.

'The real world' as if all that happened in that island wasn't real.

Well she wasn't sure about the others, but the deaths felt pretty real to her. But she understood why the need to separate realities, and of course they had dubbed it the real world because that's where their lives were. Where their families and long time friends were waiting for them and no freaky smoke thing that killed people, nor a weird group of eccentric people with just too much time left on their hands and had just the right special amount of crazy evenly imprinted into their characters and personality, was out there to get them.

Although there was virtually nothing good waiting for her back and she had been without a place she could call home a long time ago, Kate longed for the infinite amount of places she could run off and to out there. Because unbelievably she had come here to be restricted from running away too far because of that _thing _and the people who didn't want anybody else on the island.

But the good thing about being here, and although she didn't have much places to run to, without risking her own life, Kate didn't feel constricted. She didn't have to double back her steps, set beacons and leave a fake trail for _him_ nor check every angled mirror she could find for the reflection of the cops behind her. Sure, _they_ were more than eager to capture some of them but here she could breathe. She could socialize and not worry about forging any ties with anybody, afraid to put them in any danger or herself. She didn't have to run away from a bunch of cops and detectives that wanted her for a crime she had absolutely no regret for.

Here she had friends and although some days were hard, she didn't have to face the fact that she would be coming back to a back-turned mother and some shiny metal ornaments that had her name on them along with a shitty matters and a cold room made out of three walls and a restricting wall of bars.

And she found it ironic that this place that was giving her a break, though she sure as hell would not call it heaven, was the blonde's prison.

Kate knew this place wouldn't be so bad if Ben presence and the black smoke thing were inexistent. But they had to deal with how things had being laid out to them.

So she tried to imagine the blonde's life before the island.

Had she been happy? Married? Was she the best at what she did?

Apparently yes; she had been chosen to come here and continue her research after all. And she made it possible for her sister to get pregnant.

Had she been dating? Did she leave a heart-broken daddy's boy behind? Did she leave another Jack behind? A successful male doctor? A lawyer? Or was she a woman dedicated to her work and sister? No boyfriends, no relationships, no commitment. Was she a one night stand kind of gal?

Somehow she couldn't picture Juliet being that.

Had she always been this cold and calculated?

Kate bet the woman was a fierce co-worker and had everybody impressed with her work. She must have been the center of attention. Self-reserved, important. Certainly someone. Someone with her own office and someone everybody paid attention to. She certainly was here.

_But then…_

Kate thought.

_Why does she seem so… broken?_

Maybe Juliet wasn't, as unbelievable as it sounds, the center of attention. Maybe she was a caring and sweet person. A bubbly, charismatic woman. Maybe it was people stepped over her instead of the other way around.

_Nah..._

She couldn't fathom that idea. Maybe she had been the center of attention, stepping over people but maybe she had been caring. Maybe she cared about people and when she stepped over someone it had to have been because she was best.

An insecure Juliet was something so silly to think about. The woman had everything so calculated and clear in her mind. She was so focused. So detached.

So try as she might, Kate realized that she was no close to have the other woman figured out. The blonde was a mystery. A puzzle. And Kate's nature has always been a curious one. So the woman felt her interest arise even more than it had been before.

But how could she find out?

Yeah, the answer might be obvious. Go to Juliet. Befriend her. But _Juliet_ caused funny feelings in her. And she didn't like it. In fact, she didn't like the other woman at all. And she wasn't about to befriend her only to quell her curiosity. She wouldn't lie just to know how Juliet's life was before.

Oh, she could lie. Kate knew she _knew_ how to lie and make it seem like it was the truth. But somehow, her deceiving abilities were close to non-existent when it came to the blonde. It wasn't that she forgot how to lie around her. It was that Juliet knew when she was being lied to and make it look as if she didn't. And that was dangerous. Because somehow she knew, and that's the only thing she knew for sure, that Juliet was a deceiver too.

Had she always been one?

That she didn't know and that brought her back to her quest for answers.

So what should she do? Juliet and Katedidn't mix well.

Sawyer was right. Someone always came back hurt.

Physically and emotionally.


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry... I like to have at least three more chps typed up before I update. Enjoy :D

* * *

Kate was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice that all the time she had been thinking about Juliet, she had been staring at the object of her curiosity quite intensely and that had gained her a few stares from people.

But people chalked it up to rivalry and mistrust.

Oh, but Rose didn't. No sir.

She had been around longer that those two and more than any of most of the others to not know what was going on around those hearts. Because minds can lie, but the heart can't.

So the black woman smiled and returned her stare back at the newest blonde of the group, whom she had been talking to for most of the evening.

Juliet spoke of her sister and her seemingly endless battle against cancer. Rose spoke of hers and how she had long time ago given up on hope and simple dealt with her disease and kept on living as normal as she could live. And that's how she met Bernard. Strong and confident. That's how she met him and that's why he fell in love with her.

"He took me to Australia to get me to some Healer. All the way from America to the Land Down Under just to get me healed. Because he didn't want me gone. He didn't want to lose me. But I knew there was nothing that any healer could do. So I told the healer to tell Bernard he cured me, so he wouldn't worry anymore and we could enjoy our trip to Australia. But then, on our way back, the plane ripped itself in half and here we crashed. And the moment I step a foot on this island, the moment I felt the sand under my feet, I felt it gone. I felt it disappear. No more illness, no more bad cells damaging my body. I wasn't dying anymore. I was cured. It cured me." Rose spoke from her heart.

Juliet nodded. "This island… as much as I hate it, is a special place. Do you know sperm average sperm count?" She asked and Rose shook her head. "Somewhere between sixty and eighty million; but here it's five times that."

Rose raised her eyebrows impressed.

"Now, those are good odds."

"You can conceive here where out there you couldn't. But it is a curse. Not good news. It is a curse if you don't leave the island. Because something in here, something makes it impossible for the mothers to survive, to give birth."

"You mentioned you were a fertility doctor, is that why you are here?" Rose asked.

"Yeah. That's why I'm here."

"Why Ben brought you here."

"Why he wanted me here. But I'm the one that made the mistake. I thought it would be great for my research and my career but it wasn't Rose. I saw every woman die along with their child."

"So why did he keep you here?"

Juliet laughed sourly. "He felt some kind of sickening attraction to me. He wouldn't let me go because he wanted me. He wants me." The blonde visibly shuddered. "He would say it was because he wanted to bring life to this island. And then," She paused and glared at the fire before turning her icy eyes to the other woman. "He blackmailed me, into curing my sister's cancer. He said he would cure it if I stayed for some more time. And here I am. Three years went by and the day your plane crashed, was the day I saw, through a screen, my sister and my nephew. For a few seconds. He only did that to show me he had cured it and to keep me here. Cuz he could just as easily as he had cured it, put it back."

"Do you hate him?"

"More than anything." She replied tightly. "You don't know the relief I feel being here today. These past days. To be away from him, was something I thought would never be possible. I know I'm not liked here nor wanted but the stares and words of distaste that I get are nothing compared to being locked up in there. To be in his presence. It is a small price to pay, which I'm willing to accept."

Rose hummed. "I wouldn't say you're completely unwanted around here."

Juliet threw her a skeptical look. "Aha."

"Maybe you are not liked by everybody. But you saved the life of a young mother. And Jack tells me you helped Kate and Sawyer escape. That gives you some points within our community. Plus you help out."

"Even though everybody thinks it is a part of an evil 'other' plan?"

"Even though." Rose smiled kindly. "I've seen some hearts warming up to you."

Juliet laughed. "I don't think so. Maybe their minds. Not hearts."

Rose smiled again. "Oh, believe me. I know what I'm talking about."

"It's cuz I'm a doctor. It's naturally appealing." Juliet said.

Rose laughed and Juliet joined in.

"You wouldn't be making fun of me, would you?" Jack asked after coming from the kitchen with some fruit he offered them.

"Not everything is about you, sweetheart." Rose said making Jack smile and Juliet nod.

Kate watched them from afar and absently answered a few questions thrown her way, making some small contributions here and there.

After a while, she sucked in a startled breath when the blonde from across the fire met her eyes and Kate cursed how unreachable the fire between them made her look.

Juliet cocked her head to the side studiously never breaking eye contact.

The brunette admired how the shadows and orange glow danced around and caressed Juliet's skin and how the silver glow of the moonlight made her seem as a Goddess.

Kate nervously broke eye contact. She saw out of the corner of her lowered eyes Juliet turn her stare towards the moon and keep it there.

Austen made herself pay attention to what Claire was saying but after a while her gaze returned towards the blonde and stubbornly stayed there.

Again, Juliet turned to stare at her calmly and held her stare for a few seconds before the blonde stood up and walked away.

As she passed next to Kate, the brunette couldn't help but feel as if the minimal parting side glance she thought the blonde had given her, was an invitation to follow her.

Kate felt her heart beat faster and she waited for a while, giving time for the blonde to get farther and farther away from her before glancing over her shoulder to see where Juliet was heading to.

The brunette returned her stare to the fire pondering whether she should follow the blonde and whether the glance had being just a wistful figment of her imagination.

Not that Kate felt anything that resembled wistfulness towards the blonde.

She was just… curious.

_Yep. Curious._ _Or maybe not…_

She thought biting her lip.

_Should I go after her? Well, it's not as if I'm going after her, I'm just going somewhere where she happens to be._

She reasoned to herself.

Kate blew out a heavy breath glancing down at the sand, then over the fire and finally she looked at the people around her.

She noticed with some pleasure that Jack had been left behind and it looked as if he wasn't planning on following the blonde.

The fugitive rose to her feet when nobody was looking and slowly followed the blonde's trail.

She found her staring at the dark blue water and the moon's reflection in a secluded part of the beach. Juliet was sitting with her knees drawn back to her chest with her chin resting on them and arms around her legs.

Kate approached her slowly and cautiously with a skeptical look.

Truth be told, she had no idea what to say now. After all she had followed her, whether invited or not, she was now here and the only reason she knew she came was because she wanted answers to her questions. And some part of her, some deeply hidden yet very important part of her knew it was because she longed to be in Juliet's presence.

So Kate fidgeted from one foot to the other waiting for Juliet to acknowledge her presence.

She huffed when the blonde continued ignoring her.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" She asked hotly.

Juliet shrugged making Kate shake her head in disbelief and glare at her.

"That's it?" She asked.

Juliet smiled. "You were staring at me all night I figure it would be you that wanted to say something."

Kate narrowed her eyes. "I wasn't-" She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "So what if I was?"

"Oh, I have no problem with it. It just made me think there was something you wanted to talk to me about."

"Is that why you asked me to follow you?"

Juliet turned to stare at her. "I didn't ask you to follow me."

"Yes you-" Kate glared at her. "Whatever."

Juliet smiled.

"You're here of your own accord." Kate continued to glare at her. After a pause Juliet asked. "Why are you here, Kate?"

"I uh… I wanted to see what you were up to." The brunette crossed her arms over her chest defiantly.

"If you think I was going to set the camp on fire then no, you thought wrong." Juliet replied hotly. "So why are you really here Kate? And please don't lie to me, it gets kinda tiring."

"I'm not lying to you."

This time Kate turned to watch the sea while the blonde fixed her stare on her.

Juliet paused and watched the stars.

"What do you want to know?" She asked softly.

Kate fidgeted and bit down on her lower lip.

"Everything." She said finally. "Tell me more about you."


	10. Chapter 10

_"What do you want to know?" Juliet asked softly._

_Kate fidgeted and bit down on her lower lip._

_"Everything." She said finally. "Tell me more about you."_

Juliet nodded. "Sit." She invited.

Kate sat down a few feet away from her and mirrored the blonde's position.

"What do you wish to know?"

"Tell me about your life before the island. I want to know who you were, what you did."

Juliet laughed. "Trust me, you wouldn't recognize me."

"Why?"

"Kate, I, _this_," She motioned to herself. "_This _is not even close to who I was before. Not even close." She drew random patterns in the sand between them. "I was… dedicated to my work and my sister; my family. Caring… stupid…" She laughed bitterly. "Some many people stepped over me Kate… but, I wouldn't say I would give everything to get back to that instead of being this frozen inside but I would take that life over this anytime."

Kate nodded pensively. "Stupid?"

"I was married. To a monster. Not a monster in Ben's level but a cold and uncaring man that obviously seemed the sweetest guy before I married him. Perfect. I was his trophy wife. He cheated on me and I thought it was me, that I couldn't be enough for him. But that's just the way he was."

Kate nodded silently for a while remembering her own marriage and how it had ended. The liar this time had been her.

"Was?"

"Was. He got run over by a bus. In front of my eyes. So fast."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not." Juliet said.

"Did you love him?"

"I don't think I did. No, I lie. I did. Just not too much. Enough to fool myself into thinking I did."

"Where you really that different?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

"Well, I definitely don't think you're stupid. And I don't think you have ever been."

"Then why am I here?" She asked. "I knew something weird was going on but I still came. Eagerly. They gave me plenty of options to stay in Miami. I didn't."

"That's because they tricked you. That's what they do."

Juliet smiled at that. _They_, not her.

"Still, I should have stayed. But the infinite resources and funds they offered me, made it irresistible."

"I think anybody would have taken it, given what they offered you. They made sure to lure you into it."

"I guess."

"That's something right?" Kate asked with a small smirk.

"Perhaps." Juliet countered back.

There was a comfortable silence after that.

"Why tell me all of this?" Kate asked.

"Because you wanted to know."

"Juliet." Kate reproached.

The blonde sighed. "I don't know. I guess I like that I can talk about this to someone without them telling me that I should be grateful to be here and be thankful of Ben's greatness."

"You hate him more than all of us combined, don't you?" Kate confirmed.

"You can't even begin to imagine."

Kate didn't say anything and after a while she stretched out her back muscles.

"Ow." She mumbled.

"How's your back?" Juliet asked raising her eyebrow with a small smirk.

"Better."

"Good."

"It's weird."

"What is?"

"Wounds heal so fast in here."

"Yeah. That's just the island for you." Juliet reached for something and drew back a bottle of rum. "Want some?"

Kate looked perplexed. "You drink?"

Juliet frowned. "What's so weird about that?"

"I don't know. I just… I guess I never pictured you a drinker."

"I don't drink for a living no, but sometimes. Not too much, never too often."

Kate accepted the bottle and took a swig.

"So, a lawyer or a doctor?"

"What?"

"Your ex-husband, lawyer or doctor?"

"Doctor."

"I knew it." Kate made a wining motion with her fist. Juliet laughed softly. "You have a thing for doctors."

"Oh, I do?"

"There's Jack."

Juliet turned to look at her more fully.

"I don't have a thing for Jack."

"C'mon, I've seen the two of you."

"I thought I told you I didn't and had made myself clear."

"It is obvious that you do. Why would you let him touch you so much? Why would you touch him so much and hang out with him all the time?"

"First, you make it sound as if we are being inappropriately touchy and displaying various displays of affection publicly, which we aren't. Second, I hang out with him because he's the only person that's not glaring at me all the time nor asks of me anything to justify myself. Third," dramatic pause. "You're jealous."

Kate gaped and glared at her. Juliet gave her a look that said, _See? That's what I'm talking about._

"How many times do I have to tell you I'm not jealous?" Kate gritted out.

"As many as you like. It still doesn't make it true."

"I'm _not_ jealous."

"Okay, if you say so." Juliet shrugged calmly taking a sip of rum and leaned forward.

Kate huffed and glared for a while before noticing how Juliet's shirt had stopped covering the skin of her lower back..

She scrunched up her brow when she saw something peculiar and absently extended her arm out to touch it.

The blonde jumped surprised at the contact.

"Sorry!" Kate said tucking her hands under her legs.

"It's okay. I just didn't expect it."

"Well me neither." Juliet knew she was referring at both, touching her and the unexpected turn of events when the blonde shot one of her own. "Did it hurt?"

"Yeah."

"Does it still hurt?"

"Not really."

Kate nodded. "I-I don't think I've ever thanked you for that."

Juliet hummed.

"So… thanks."

The blonde nodded in response.

"You didn't have to."

"I know."

"Then… why did you?"

"I don't know. I hate that place. This place. All of them. There are just a few that aren't monsters in there. I snapped. No more pointless deaths for crazy ideals. A way out…"

"They were going to kill you."

"A way out." Juliet repeated.

"Were you ever happy here?"

"No. But I did have some semblance of it."

"Where you involved with somebody?"

"Yes. Ben got him killed." She paused taking a healthy swig and snorted. "It's not as if he didn't look for it himself."

"What do you mean?"

"He was loyal to Ben. He did as he was told. Look Kate, Ben has a thing for me, always has. I got involved with him, Ben got jealous and when your plane crashed, he saw an opportunity to get rid of him and sent him to one of the camps. There he got infiltrated and got killed for that."

Kate narrowed her eyes. "Was it Ethan?"

"What? Oh God no. No, it wasn't Ethan. Goodwin was a good man, some part of him I guess. He was still loyal to Ben. That can never be good."

"What were you doing when we crashed?"

"Don't laugh." Juliet warned making the other woman frown."Book club."

"What?" Kate asked smiling. "Are you serious?"

"Yep. Book club."

"Pastries and everything?"

"No. They got kinda blackish and smoky."

"Did you burn them?"

"I forgot they were in the oven." Juliet said to her defense. "Burnt my hand in the rescuing process."

"You bake, now?"

"I do the effort."

"What else do you do?" Kate asked amused.

"Oh, plenty of things."

"Oh really, like what?"

"Would you like to find out?" Juliet asked with a small purr to her voice.

"As long as it's good." Kate said and then blushed.

Juliet smirked. "Oh, it is."

The women stared at each other before cracking up.

Kate turned to Juliet after a while "I…I…"

"Let me guess, you still don't like me." The blonde supplied.

Kate smiled. "I don't dislike you more than I did a few minutes ago."

"And that's something, right?" Juliet smiled.

"Perhaps." Kate answered back smiling.


	11. Chapter 11

Hope you like it :D

* * *

"Jul-" Kate stopped in midstride when she saw the blonde caressing Jack's face.

She was just approaching the kitchen to get Juliet so they could go collect some fruit, but apparently the woman was _busy_.

The brunette felt something heavy settle on her chest and stomach, feeling what some people would call jealousy furiously pumping through her veins.

Juliet on her part thought she heard her name being called but when she turned all she saw was the stomping and clearly pissed off figure that was obviously Kate.

"What?" Jack asked turning around noticing the disappearing brunette.

Juliet sighed and cleaned the rest of the small scratch Jack had managed to get from some branches while running through the woods.

"Nothing." She said gaining a raised eyebrow from Shepard.

"Hey there Docs. How's your love nest going?" Sawyer said approaching them with his sardonic smile.

"Sawyer." Jack greeted.

"James." Juliet's.

"Well, I guess even doctors have a thing for doctors. Egocentric much?" Sawyer said smiling one of his cocky smiles.

Juliet didn't even bother to raise her brows and turned to Jack.

"I'll be collecting fruit. Kate must be waiting for me."

As she passed next to Sawyer, he grabbed her arm.

"Hey," Jack said moving towards them. "Let go of her."

"You better don't try anything funny out there blondie, cuz you'll be lying down next to your buddy Ethan down there in that special suite reserved for people like you. And if I see and scratch on Kate that hasn't been caused by an 'accident' which just happen to happen more with you around, you'll be long gone. You lay a hand on her, you won't be seeing the sun again, got me?"

Juliet fixed her steely gaze on him and looked at him in a way that she was sure neither she nor Jack would have to get her out of his grip, for he alone would do it by himself intimidated by her stare.

"Gotcha." She said looking at him with the same fervor she had with when he and Sayid followed her when she left to get the serum.

Sure enough James Ford let go of her arm, never breaking eye contact.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, she's waiting for me." Juliet said making Sawyer snicker at the sworn emphasis he heard in _for me_and stalk away.

"You okay?" Jack asked glaring at Sawyer's back.

"Nothing I couldn't have handled." She replied picking up her backpack.

"So I noticed." Jack smiled. "Good luck, and please, don't tear each other apart. She looked a little pissed off just now."

Juliet smiled and made a face as if she were considering it.

"I'll try not to." She promised.

Jack smiled shaking his head.

"See ya later then."

"Okay."

Juliet walked away from the doctor and calmly followed the messy trail left by Kate.

After a while she noticed there was a spot where the trail led to two different places.

She rolled her eyes at the brunette for even bothering. Sooner or later Juliet would find her.

She considered for a moment which way to turn and decided to turn right, where her gut was leading her.

Five minutes later she found Kate grumpily getting some bananas.

"Good morning." Juliet greeted.

"…"

"You're not talking to me now?" She asked amused.

"…"

"Kate."

"I'm here to collect fruit, not to talk to you." Kate responded bluntly.

"We were fine just yesterday, what changed so suddenly?"

"…"

"Okay, so yesterday you talked to me and today you don't?" Juliet asked shaking her head.

"Yep. Pretty much. Glad to see school paid off for you."

Juliet shook her head again starting to pick some fruit.

"I'm not interested in him."

Kate laughed. "Is that why you think I don't wanna talk to you now?"

"Why else would it be?"

"You know what? Believe what you wish."

"I appreciate your permission to."

"Shut up."

Juliet gave a small laugh.

"Why are you mad?"

"I'm not mad."

"Then why aren't you talking to me?"

"Cuz I don't want to."

"You never stay quiet, so that means you're pissed."

"Could you just get back to being your quiet-self? I dislike you less that way."

Juliet shook her head again at the brunette childlessness.

They collected fruit and spent half an hour in absolute silence, aside from the small grunts coming from their throats and the wild life around them.

"Why can you just right out say that you are in fact interested in him?" Kate finally snapped breaking the heavy silence and fumingly turning to face the blonde.

"See? I told you, you are jealous." Juliet bragged.

"Shut up! It just pisses my off that you lie to me, that's all."

"But I'm not lying to you Kate. You just don't want to believe me. That's not my problem."

"Oh please. I can tell from miles away you're both hot for each other."

"Please, don't be such a child."

"Then why were you caressing his face this morning?"

"I was cleaning a little scratch he got."

"Riiight." Kate sneered.

"What is it to you then? Aren't you with _Sawyer_? Why does it matter to you so much whether or not Jack and I are _hot_ for each other?"

"It doesn't matter to me at all. That's not the point, it's the fact that you're lying!"

Juliet stepped backwards purposely making Kate move forward automatically.

Reverse psychology works wonders.

"Just accept it." Juliet said.

"What?"

"You are jealous and you know who you are jealous of." Juliet said taking one more step backwards.

Kate rolled her eyes and followed barely aware of having done so.

"Please, not again with your crazy theories."

"They're not theories." Juliet's back hit a tree and she felt her skin crawl at the trapped feeling. Although there were at least five feet separating her from Juliet and the woman was the one with no escape, Kate felt utterly trapped there. "You know I'm right." Juliet cockily added with a mirthful smirk.

"Agh! You are exasperating!"

"You wouldn't want me any other way." She gave her a knowing look.

"I DON'T want you!"

"Oh, yes you do." Juliet laughed briefly.

"I. Don't." Kate said stalking forward.

"Okay." The blonde shrugged, unfazed by the closing distance and the angry brunette. "If you say so." She made a move to the right to get away.

Kate grabbed hold of her arm, putting her back in place and slammed her - not too hard, definitely not gently - against the tree getting in the blonde's face.

"Get this through your thick pretty head: I. DO NOT want YOU."

Juliet just stared at her.

"You don't? Well, I'm sorry, my bad. You may not want me but… Jack does, and bad." She taunted. Kate growled and pinned the blonde to the tree with her own body. "What is it? Does it piss you off? Thought you weren't interested."

"I couldn't care less."

"Really? Then why do you get all worked up whenever Jack and I are together? It's not me whose back you are glaring at." Juliet spoke softly. "It pisses you off that he's the one touching me and not you." She continued earning shove and a nasty, yet unsure, glare.

"Shut up."

"But I guess I know why you get jealous, you know?" Burke got a dreamy, yet sexy, look on her face and lowered her voice to a purr. "Jack has very beautiful eyes and nice strong hands. Talented too, and for a man he was very soft-"

Juliet was cut off by a very possessive kiss from the brunette's mouth. Kate bit down on the blonde's lips drawing out little blood making Juliet hiss in pain before sucking her lip gently, all the time digging her hands through the blonde's mane.

The older woman on her part kept her hands by her side to make a point of who was doing all the touching, although she was kissing back just as fiercely as Kate was.

A loud screech coming from a pissed off bird some miles away brought Kate back to reality.

She broke away from Juliet panting for breath and took a few steps away shaking her head and narrowing her eyes at Juliet before slapping her.

"You don't know anything." She spat before running to her backpack and taking off with a scared expression.

Juliet merely shook her while she rubbed her bruised cheek before a small smile broke free.

After all, it was Kate who had kissed her first. It was Kate stalking her and pinning her to the tree using her own body as a barrier.

Yeah… Austen definitely wanted her.


	12. Chapter 12

Not much happens... just some Kate panicking.

* * *

Kate stumbled out of the woods as if she had seen a ghost. People surrounded asking her what was wrong but the brunette paid them no attention.

She passed through the mass and snuck into her tent.

There she took deep and totally calming breaths, only to panic a second later.

_Shit, shit, shit! I just kissed her! Juliet! Of all people I go and kiss Juliet! Juliet for christ's sake!_

"Fuck!" She exclaimed out loud.

_Shit! I've screwed everything up! Juliet, of all… Shit!_

"Kate? Kate." Jack asked sneaking in. "Are you okay? Is Juliet okay? What happened?"

_Of course he's going to ask about his honey._

She thought sourly, momentarily forgetting her mild panic attack.

"Nothing happened."

"You look upset. Something did happen. Where's Juliet?"

"She's fine."

"Kate, what happened? Why are you so upset?"

"Jack. Drop it."

Jack shook his head.

"Okay. Is she okay though? Did the two of you fight?"

"Yes Jack, she's okay! She's perfect! Now, leave. I wanna be alone."

Jack nodded a little scared and left.

A few seconds later her drapes moved revealing a worried Sawyer.

"You okay there Freckles?" He asked coming inside.

Kate nodded her head. "Yeah."

"I saw you were a little upset, did she try anything funny? Cuz if she did-"

Once again, Kate cut somebody off midsentence by a kiss.

Sawyer looked surprised at first but then eagerly got into it.

Kate went to remove his shirt when he broke off the kiss.

"Damn. If fighting with the blonde bitch gets you in the mood, you gotta do it more often."He said while trailing kisses down her neck.

"Shut up."

"Are you gonna tell me what she did to you to get you like this?"

"Shut up." She silenced him with another kiss before tangling her hands in his hair.

_Not long enough._

Her mind reminded her. She chose to ignore the voice and deepened the kiss, feeling Sawyer's stubble dig uncomfortably into her skin.

Sawyer was a hell of a kisser, but for some reason, his lips didn't seem as soft as she had always thought they were; nor the feel of his body pressed to her as good as Juliet's had been.

And the blonde's lips were definitely better and more tantalizing than his.

Her eyes widened at her last thought and she hastily pulled away.

"Not now." She stopped his wandering hands.

"What?" James asked confused.

"Out. I wanna be alone."

"What? Oh hell no, you can't be serious."

"I am _James, _please go."

"You can't be serious Freckles! First you get me all worked up and now you want me to leave?"

"Yes! Leave!" She said pushing him out and throwing him his shirt.

Sawyer snagged the shirt from the air angrily putting it on.

"Hanging out with her has made you all kinds of bitchy, didn't know that was something you could catch. But… apparently hanging out with one of them messes up with your head. I mean look at Jacko, her prisoner and know a devout follower. Last thing we need is for you to be kissing her feet and tending to her every need. "

"Whatever Sawyer, just go." She said turning her back on him.

Sawyer scoffed one last time and stalked off.

"_Women_…"

Inside her tent, Kate sat on her makeshift bed with her hands on her head.

She decided that she needed a swim or the feel of cold water against her skin so she gathered her stuff to take to the lake that was seldom visited.

When she was ready, she left her tent and paused outside it where she noticed Juliet at the kitchen storing away the fruit they had collected. Kate tore her gaze away when she saw how the blonde's back tensed up sensing she was being watched, and walked hurriedly towards her goal.

She spent the remaining part of the morning and most of the afternoon swimming and sun bathing until her skin got all wrinkly.

When she got back to the camp, she put her soaked clothes to dry in the sun, grabbed some boar that John had gotten for the camp and ate while thinking about her past and totally weird actions.

She didn't know why she had kissed Juliet. It wasn't as if she was jealous and Juliet's words about Jack had evoked that feeling, cuz God only knew how she couldn't care less about those two.

But the blonde had been so irritating with her constant praising of Jack that it had only driven a possessive response in Kate. She just wanted her to shut up about Jack.

_Why does everything have to do with him?_

_Why does Juliet have to find him so…interesting?_

Kate sighed.

She found Jack interesting herself so that was a question for which she had the answer to.

But… why had she kissed Juliet?

Why did she enjoy it so much?

_I did not nor will I ever enjoy kissing Juliet. Not that I'm planning to do it again… guh! Why is she so… confusing?_

Kate shook her head while she finished her meal, looking around and for once in the two weeks that had passed, she saw Jack talking to somebody else different than the blonde doctor.

But said person she couldn't spot anywhere. Not that she was looking for her of course but… it is of great importance to know where your enemies are and what they are up to all the time.

"Hey." Claire approached her. "Are you feeling better now? You looked kinda… freaked out this morning."

"Hey… yeah, sorry about that."

"What happened?"

"Nothing really. I just can't stand her."

Claire shrugged. "She's not so bad. I mean, I know she was one of them but, she can be… nice. Plus it is not as if she is just sitting around waiting for everybody to like her. She is getting fruit and helping out others."

"Yeah, I guess."

"So," Claire have her a playful shove. "What happened?"

"Nothing… she is just sooo confusing! I don't understand the things she says sometimes."

Claire laughed. "She can be little cryptic at times."

"Yeah." Kate agreed.

"Hello girls." Rose said joining them.

"Hi." Claire greeted cheerily.

"Hi."

"What is troubling you dear?" The dark skinned woman asked wrapping an arm around the brunette.

"Would you believe me if I told you I don't know?"

"I wouldn't, because I think you already know. Not exactly but you have an idea."

Kate frowned staring at her hands.

"Maybe…"

"Kate, tell me something, are you jealous?" Claire asked.

"What? Why would I be jealous?"

"Hey, don't get me the wrong way, but you have been extra moody since she's been here and you are always glaring at them, Jack and Juliet, whenever they are talking and hanging around."

"For Christ's sake I'm not jealous!"

"Sorry, I guess I just thought…" Claire apologized.

Kate took a deep breath and stared sheepishly at the women.

"Nah, it's okay, I'm the one who's sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. It's just that I've been getting that all the time lately."

"Don't you think it might be cuz you actually are jealous?" Rose asked kindly.

"You think?" The Aussie said with a small smile. Rose hummed and Claire continued. "Look, I don't know what's going on with Jack , Sawyer and you. And now Juliet. I mean ,there's always been this… triangle between you three and now if we add Juliet to the mix… All I'm saying is that things kinda have the right to get complicated. I don't know what you feel towards who it is you feel for but, you should figure it out." The Aussie elaborated.

"I know."

"You know that Jack has always had a 'thing' for you, sweetie . And Sawyer." Rose added smiling conspirationally. "And you have always had a thing for the both of them… but have always been a little bit more inclined towards Sawyer. I guess what this old woman is saying is that, if it isn't Jack you want to be with, do not stop him from befriending Juliet and possibly start something with her."

The stayed in silence for a while and after hearing Aaron's cry, Claire stood up and left to tend to her son.

"Sorry." She called over her shoulder retreating.

"But I'm not stopping him." Kate finally spoke.

"You're stopping _her_." Rose added.

Kate cocked her head to the side thoughtfully.

"How?"

"Aren't you there always to remind her how much under your spell Jack is?" Bernard's wife patted the girl's knee. "Maybe she couldn't care less what you think, which I don't think is the case but that's not the point, but with those glares … you might be giving Jack the wrong idea sweetie. He might think it is _him_ you are interested in."

"What? You are so…! I'm so confused!" Kate sighed dejectedly running her hands through her locks. "Look, yeah, there's Sawyer, he is great and all and so is Jack, but, I don't think I really want to be with any of them. Really _be_ with them."

"I know." Rose added. "Just as I know that Juliet's bruised lip is something of your doing, and that it was done with that same part of your anatomy."

Kate eyes bulged out.

"Wha…?"

"Dear, I know a… let's not call it love bite cuz you might have a stroke… a bite when I see it. And you my dear… couldn't have your lips more swollen up and your face more red simply because you couldn't… assuming you got interrupted."

"I don't know what you are talking about." Kate crossed her amrs over her chest narrowing and averting her eyes.

"Don't lie to me when you are blushing honey. It's a big tell-tale." Rose admonished. "And offending. I got eyes, you know?"

"I'm not-"

"Look dear. I'm not judging you nor will I judge you. I just want you to figure out what it is you feel towards any of them and to do what's right because you are hurting yourself and will end up hurting one or all of them."

"Somebody is bound to end up hurt Rose, I can't help it. If I stay with Sawyer, Jack will get hurt and if I do it the other way it's gonna be the same."

"but aren't you already with Sawyer, in that weird way of yours? You got something going with that man so Jack 's had to accept it."

"Yeah, but still, someone will end up resentful."

"Yes dear, but if you can honestly tell yourself and them what you feel, you can end with any building uncertainties and false hopes, because it is awful not to know if somebody wants you or not and leaves you hanging."

"I know."

"Dear, I'm only telling you this because I care about you. And a broken heart is something hard to mend."

"Tell me about it." She paused and bit her lip. "I don't feel anything towards _her._"

"You don't?"

"No." She muttered.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I-I thought you should know… that… just because what happened today happened doesn't mean I…_feel_ anything towards her."

"I don't think anybody gets as passionate as you do when you speak of her, and that level of emotion means there's some sort of feeling behind. Be it bad, or good."

"Definitely of the bad kind."

Bernard's wife chuckled and shook her head.

"The doctor does have some charm." Rose said getting to her feet.

"Which doctor?" Kate called after her.

"Honey, both of them do. But there's only one that is the most charming to you." The older woman winked and walked away leaving a confused and frustrated Kate behind.

_Why is everybody so frustratingly confusing around here?_


	13. Chapter 13

Hope you like it!

* * *

Kate paced back and forth somewhere behind the tree line. She could see Juliet sitting calmly by the beach enjoying the night's nice breeze as she stared at the restless waters.

"I can hear you huffing back there. You might as well come out." Juliet spoke softly but Kate heard her clearly.

Kate glared at the blonde's back and huffed one last time before taking a deep breath and shaking the tension off her body.

She approached the blonde softly and warily.

"I'm sorry." She offered reluctantly staring at the sea.

"Sorry about what?" Juliet asked. "Kissing me or slapping me?"

"Both."

"Well, I'm glad you're sorry you slapped me for kissing me." Juliet spoke with a very neutral tone. "And you're not sorry you kissed me."

"I am!"

"…"

"Look, whatever, I just wanted to apologize for slapping you, that's all." She said angrily crossing her arms over her chest.

"Apology accepted."

"Good."

Without turning to face her, Juliet patted the sand next to her and Kate complied immediately without thinking. When the brunette realized what she had done, she rolled her eyes at herself and scooted away from the other.

"Doesn't anything faze you at all?" Kate asked.

"A lot of stuff does."

"Then why don't you show it?"

"The fact that it fazes me doesn't mean I have to show it."

"How can you be so cold?"

"I don't choose to."

"I think you do."

Juliet shook her head. "I've had to do it for so long that it has become a part of me. I don't even think about doing it, it just happens."

"Well, it shouldn't happen."

"Why not?" Juliet said turning towards her.

"Cuz… I don't like to be in the dark about what and how you feel, that's all."

"All you have to do is ask me."

"Doesn't mean I'll get an answer."

"True."

"Anyway, I shouldn't have to ask you."

"True."

"I'm… sorry about…y-your, uh, lip."

"It's okay. It's already healing."

"Does it hurt?"

"It was worth it."

Kate suddenly huffed and got up.

"No, it wasn't. I don't know what movie you think you are in, what story you've planted in your head, but I do not want you."

"I know Kate. You made it very clear with the lip-locking." Juliet smirked.

"Oh, screw you!" Kate childishly kicked some sand to the blonde's body and walked away.

Juliet, chuckling, watched her go and returned her passive stare to the sea.

* * *

The next morning found Burke and Austen collecting food out in the humid and hot weather in the woods.

Juliet had greeted as usual and Kate chose to ignore her, barely looking her way.

"Kate… don't be like that."

"…"

"Why are you mad at me?"

"Why? It certainly isn't because you are-" Kate stopped herself midsentence when she saw Juliet sporting a small smirk and returned to her silence treatment.

"Because I'm what?"

"…"

"Look, I don't understand what I did wrong. We were talking yesterday and you flee. It's not my fault you are so volatile."

"Please, could you be quiet? You're giving me a headache." Kate rubbed her throbbing temple.

Juliet moved forward and skillfully massaged the brunette's forehead, scalp and neck.

"What are you doing?" Kate asked inching away slightly.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Touching me, which by the way is something I have a problem with." Austen removed the blonde's hands and stepped far away.

"Okay. Sorry. I'll ask for your consent next time."

"There won't be a next time."

"Step out of the sun. Have some water and rest for a while. I'll finish with this." The blond skillfully shrugged off the girls reply and resumed her past activity.

Kate nodded and sat on a rock. She watched how graceful Juliet even was to get fruit. How relaxed and indifferent she looked.

After Juliet had gathered the last of fruit they would collect for the day, the brunette got up and followed.

Kate walked with a pensive rhythm and stare, letting Juliet lead her back to the beach. Her gaze traveled down the length of the blonde's body, fixing on the bruised skin that would reveal itself once and again when the swagger of the blonde's hip and body would raise her shirt the slightest.

"See anything you like?" The blonde asked over her shoulder.

Kate heard the sound of her voice but kept her gaze firmly planted on the blonde's behind.

Juliet cocked her head to the side and stopped.

"Kate?"

The brunette's lethargy caused her to slowly traveled up her gaze from the blonde's behind to the new revealed front part of her and up to her face, making Juliet raised her eyebrow even more.

"Mmm…?"

"I asked you something…?" Juliet prompted.

"Oh, sorry didn't hear you."

"Yeah, I know. You were too busy ogling me."

"What…?" When the words registered the brunette blushed. "I wasn't!"

"I beg to differ. Are you okay? You are kinda… slow."

"Hey!"

"I'm sorry but it's true." Juliet chuckled.

"Whatever, just keep going."'

"You just want me to walk ahead of you so you can check me out."

Kate huffed. "I'll lead the way."

"Wouldn't wanna ruin your fun."

Kate simply rolled her eyes and stalked forward through the jungle.

After a while, the brunette slowed down allowing Juliet to catch up to her.

"What did you mean the other day?" Kate found herself asking softly.

"What other day?"

"When you said you had a common interest with Jack, and that interest was me."

"I meant that I had an interest in you."

Kate narrowed her eyes.

"Yeah, but why?"

"I just do."

Kate groaned. "What do you mean by that? Why are you so confusing?"

"Do I confuse you Kate?"

"Yes! When you say stuff like that or… look at me sometimes. As if you know something I don't."

Juliet looked at her and then leaned in very close making Kate suck in a deep breath.

The blonde stopped millimeters away from her mouth.

"Stuff like this?" She asked staring deeply into Kate's green eyes.

Kate nodded dumbly.

Juliet stared at her for a while before walking again.

"I think we are finished here. Let's go. I'm meeting _Jack _later."

Kate huffed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Jack?" She barked.

"Yes Jack. I told him I would-"

"Stop." Kate cut her off grabbing her by the arms and crashing their lips together. "Stop talking about him." She said breaking the kiss and once again pinning the blonde to a tree. "Just stop."

"Why?"

"Cuz it bothers me okay?"

"Why?"

"Cuz I don't know what you see in him that I don't have!" Kate said before covering her mouth with her hands. "I-I-" She said before fleeting.

"Kate wait! Don't go." But Juliet could only stare at the brunette's retreating back.


	14. Chapter 14

Thank you xD

Enjoy.

* * *

"Kate, Juliet, could you girls help me getting some firewood?" Jack asked finishing the last of his fruit.

"Sure." Juliet replied.

"I…uh…I have something else to do, sorry." Kate replied already walking away.

"Like Sawyer." The blonde woman crudely added and Kate was thankful Jack hadn't heard anything.

"Shut up." Kate hissed.

"_Will you kiss me to?"_

"…"

"Okay, c'mon Juliet let's go." Shepard said grabbing his backpack.

"_No? Maybe Jack will._ Let's ask him, Ja-"

"You know what Jack? I'll come with." Kate rushed out.

"You sure?" Jack asked turning around with a wary look.

"Yep, hundred percent sure."

"Why the sudden change in mind?"

"Because she thinks that way you won't try to have your way with me." Juliet said winking at the male doctor.

Kate glared at her while Jack chuckled and blushed.

"C'mon, let's go. Just… get along. No attacks please."

"Where are you Stranded and Other heading off to?" Sawyer suddenly appeared.

"_This should be entertaining."_ Juliet murmured to Kate and the younger returned her glare at her. "_Like a double date."_

"_You are not dating him."_

_"What would you know?"_ Juliet countered back earning a sneer.

Kate childishly mocker her. "_What would you know?"_

"We are getting some firewood." Jack answered Sawyer.

"And you were taking the woman all for yourself weren't you?"

"Yeah, you know me. Women magnet, that's why I chose to become a doctor. C'mon."

"I second that." Juliet started pointedly at Kate. "Although for different reasons. Fertilization and all."

Jack laughed and passed an arm over her shoulders.

"Thank God you are a woman or that could have been taken the wrong way."

"Well, I'm a woman of many talents." She said half-hugging him back.

"That I don't doubt." The male doctor replied.

Kate bristled crossing her arms over her chest and turning to look the other way while she walked.

"Would torture happen to be one of your talents, Doc?" Sawyer asked unkindly.

"Sawyer." Jack warned.

"Not physical, although I think I'll manage." She smiled dryly at Ford.

"And mentally?"

"The human mind can be as strong as it can be weak, James. Corrupting it is not difficult as long as you know which way to approach. With the right determination, anybody in here could destroy and fool somebody's mind and much effort wouldn't be needed. I think you'll find emotional distress is worse than the physical one. So, yeah, emotionally, mentally, anybody here can do it. That I'm willing, it's another thing, and you should know that I'm not."

"Could we not talk about stuff like that?" Kate asked a little freaked.

"Sure." Juliet agreed.

"What would you like to talk about Freckles?"

"I'm not in the mood for talking, you guys talk, I'll participate a little. Just talk about nice things, there should be no problem."

"When are you ever in the mood?" Juliet taunted.

"Oh, shut up." Kate bristled.

* * *

After an hour had passed, they had managed to get separated.

The women on one side and the men on the other.

Said men, decided to head back to the camp taking the firewood they had collected, leaving Kate and Juliet behind.

"Why did you slap me?"

"I… don't know. A reflex I guess."

"So you slap every person you kiss?"

"I didn't kiss you…"

"You know you did."

"Whatever, I'm heading back."

Juliet got into Kate's personal space and after some intense staring session, the brunette had _no_ choice but to kiss her.

When she realized once again what she had done she pushed the other woman away and opted for her favorite choice: running.

"Wait!" Juliet said catching up to Kate.

"What?"

"Kate, c'mon!" Juliet said grabbing Austen's arm.

Kate's response was throwing her over her shoulder.

Juliet took a sharp intake of breath when she hit the ground and kicked Kate's legs of the ground quickly straddling her.

"What's your problem?" Juliet asked from above her.

"You!" Kate said shrugging her off and straddling Juliet back.

"Me? You kiss me and then slap me. You kiss me again and then run away! How am I your problem?"

"You just are okay? Now leave me alone!" Kate said getting up and started to walk away.

Juliet got on her feet and quickly pinned the brunette's arms above her head against a tree.

"You want me Kate, get over it!"

"I don't-"

This time Kate was the silenced one by a pair of lips.

Juliet broke the kiss.

"Why can't you just accept it?" Juliet gritted out.

"Cuz you are one of them!"

"That's your reason?" The blonde had a very skeptical look.

"Well yeah… a-and you are a woman, I've never been with a woman."

"And you think I have?"

"Well you are pretty straightforward I just though… that's not the point, let go off me!"

"No, 'til you say it."

"I won't cuz I don't want you!"

"Fine, be as childish as you want, but I know you want me Katherine so there's no point in denying it. You'll just look pathetic doing so and give me a headache. Now, if you'll excuse I have some place to be. You can deny it all you want Kate, but I know you'll be back for more. This is just getting started."

Juliet said angrily turning away and stomping her way through the dense high grass and woods.

* * *

"What did you do to her?" Rose asked approaching Kate at the beach. "She looked a little angry, and that's something coming from her."

"I didn't do anything." The brunette mulishly replied.

"Is that why she's mad?"

"What?"

"Because you didn't do anything?"

"I…"

"Did you kiss her again darling?"

"I didn't…"

"And you run away."

"Yeah."

"So you did kiss her and ran away." The woman confirmed.

"Yes, but it was just an accident."

"How so darling? She fell on your lips?"

"Errrr… no. I fell on her lips."

"And…?"

"I don't know Rose. She was just standing so close and… I just had this great impulse to… and I did it."

"And then you pushed her away."

Kate turned to Rose. "How do you know so much? Were you spying on us? A little bird told you?" Kate asked with a small smile.

"I'm pretty good with the guessing game."

"So I see."

"Well, she's a good person Kate. She was forced to change and do things to survive and protect her family. She's not one of them. Unfortunate circumstances shaped her a little bit hard and cold but she's a good woman."

"You just know it, right?"

"Right."

"I just need to figure things out… I mean, out of all people on this island," The brunette moved her arms to indicate the people surrounding them. "I get interested in Juliet. Juliet of all people. A woman! I've never been with a woman before. Sure I've made out with one but… not to extents of actually feeling something for them."

"So you do feel something for Juliet?"

"That's the thing. I don't know. I mean, I guess I do but…"

"You need to figure it out."

"Yes."

"Honey, there's nothing wrong if you feel hopelessly attracted to her. Like I said, she is a nice person."

"I know, but she still did what she did."

"Because she had to."

"What if she is lying to us?"

"Kate…"

"Really, what if this is some sort of plan? She's a great liar Rose, how do we know she's not lying to us? How can we trust her? What if she wants to get closer to me so I trust her and then she can take me away back to them?"

"Those are questions you should be asking her, not me. But if you ask me; that woman is not lying when she says that being away from them is the best thing that has happened to her since she first arrived to this place."

"Hmm…"

"Just get to know her. Things already have a fast and intense pace set between you two, so try to make use of time and give her the benefit of the doubt."

"Yeah… maybe you are right. But I can't help that fight or flight response, with my preference for the latter."

"With the right incentive you'll learn to stay and face things. She might just be that."

"She might…" Kate agreed with a small smile she wasn't aware was playing on her lips.

Rose shook her head and went in search of her love.

To be young and in love…

It made her want to look for her man and pour out all her love for him in one of those heated looks or heartfelt embrace.

To be young and in love again…


	15. Chapter 15

Hi, hope you like it! Thank you reviewers!

R&R!

* * *

"Have you come to slap me again?" The blonde woman asked from her spot by the beach.

"How did you know it was me?"

"Who else could it be?" Juliet resumed eating a banana. "What do you want Kate?"

"I uh… nothing, just saw you hanging out here-"

"All by myself and decided to be a good girl and keep me company?"

"Yeah, something like that. " The brunette smiled uncertainly at the blonde.

"Aha..."

"Don't… don't be mad."

"I'm not."

"Really? Could have fooled me." Kate snickered.

"…"

Kate sighed. "Sorry, I just… this is new for me."

"I'm not asking you for a relationship Kate, all I'm asking you is to accept you do want me."

"Why? What is it to you?"

"Cuz I want you too and we could make some sort of arrangement."

"Negotiate?" Austen asked with a small smile.

"Something like that."

Kate mulled it over, finally opting to ask a question that had been bothering her.

"Why do you want me?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Uh… cuz, uh, I'm not of the male persuasion?"

Juliet laughed bitterly.

"I don't care about that."

"How about cuz I'm not a doctor but a fugitive?"

"I'm not attracted to doctors. Much."

"So if I were a Doctor, would I have you drooling over me?"

"Well that's a very unattractive imagery, the drooling," She clarified when Kate narrowed her eyes at her "but the Doctor scrubs would look good on you."

"With stethoscope and all?"

"Yeah."

"How about the lab coat?"

"Even better."

"See? You do have a thing for doctors."

"Maybe."

Kate smiled and sat down next to the blonde.

"Why would someone like you want me? Someone like Jack, _like_ me?"

"Why not? You're aesthetically pleasing."

"Aesthetically pleasing?" Kate laughed.

"Yes, and I'm not done yet." Juliet warned.

"Oops, sorry. Please continue with the praising."

"You're smart, nice – although not much as of late- strong, have a good heart and are overall a good person."

"You know I killed a man, don't you?"

"Yeah well, so did I, in case you have forgotten."

"You also know I tend to run away."

"I've been a first row witness of it."

"But why me? I mean, Jack is the so much better candidate. Compassionate, a doctor, smart, nice, doctor, strong and a very good person."

"So are you."

"I don't want us to… connect, to relate to each other because we both have taken a life."

"We won't."

"Or because we are stuck in here. Do you honestly think you would talk to me out there? Even look my way?"

"Yes. At least look your way."

"Pfft."

"I don't think you would have looked my way though."

"What, why?"

Juliet chuckled. "Trust me; you wouldn't have."

"I don't think so."

"Anyway… if I had crossed paths with you, I have a feeling some part of me would be attracted to you to some level, yes. It's most likely that I would be a little freaked out with what you did-"

"A little?"

"Okay, a lot. But, maybe we could make it work. It's probably that badass attitude of yours."

"Were you the kind of girl attracted to bad boys?"

"Who wasn't?" Juliet chuckled.

"I think you are the most badass of the two of us."

"That would be you. Me? I'm the more intimidating one."

"True." Kate smiled. "So… are you still mad at me?"

"Partially."

"Partially? What do you mean partially?"

"If I kiss you right now, can you promise me you won't freak out?"

"Right now? Yes." Kate smiled.

"And tomorrow?"

Kate mulled it over and answered truthfully.

"No."

"See, that's why I'm partially mad at you. Cuz I know tomorrow you'll run away."

"Are you planning on kissing me tomorrow?" Kate asked amused.

"Maybe, but I know you'll be the one to kiss me."

"Oh really? How's so?"

"Cuz you can't resist me, simple as that." Juliet said smiling.

"Hahaha oh, really?"

"Really."

"How modest of you."

"I'm only telling the truth."

They stayed in comfortable silence for a while until Kate turned to address Juliet expectantly.

"So…"

"Hmm?"

"So… aren't you… yunno, going to kiss me?" She asked blushing and thanked the night hid her colors.

"No." Juliet deadpanned.

"No…?" Kate gaped. "Why not?"

"Because I'm still partially mad at you."

"So you are punishing me today for something I'll probably do tomorrow? And I repeat, _probably_."

"Do you consider it a punishment?" Juliet cocked her eyebrows very…cockishly.

"Well I…mmm… I uh… no."

"Aha."

"Seriously, why not?" Kate reproached.

"I already told you."

"I can't believe you!" Kate sulked glaring at the sea and crossing her arms over her chest. "_Unbelievable_…" She muttered. "_Unbelievable."_

Juliet chuckled and kissed the brunette's cheek rapidly before getting up, leaving a blushing and perplexed Kate behind.

"Goodnight." Juliet called over her shoulder.

"Yeah…'night." Kate smiled goofily touching the lucky cheek that received the blonde's soft lips.

3

Kate shook herself out of her goofy state as best as she could, quickly getting to her feet and going after the blonde.

She found her entering her tent and snuck in, looking out for any curious stares.

"Hey…"

Juliet smiled and kept her back to Kate.

"Kate."

"Um…"

"Yes?"

"Actually I… don't know what I'm doing here…" Kate admitted with a nervous laugh. "I shouldn't have barged in, I'm sorry." Kate turned around ready to leave.

She could practically hear the blonde's raised eyebrows and smug smirk, so she stopped.

"Uh…"

"…"

"Okay," Kate faced Juliet who had turned around while she attempted to escape. "I just really, really think that, uh, well I need…"

"Let me guess… you need a goodnight kiss." Juliet offered.

"Well, yes. I mean, no, that's for kids right, but…"

"I already gave you a goodnight kiss."

"Yes but it was… unsatisfactory…" Kate approached Juliet more confident now. "Plus I owe you an apology, what with the running and slapping so my _verbal_ apology felt a little... unsatisfactory."

"I believe you could say so, yes."

"So, I was thinking I could, you know, make it up to you."

"By making out with me."

"You could say so, yes. Your words, not mine." Kate smiled.

Juliet shook her head chuckling.

Kate chuckled along and grabbed hold of Juliet's hips.

"So, Miss Burke, I'm here to formally present my most sincere apologies to you."

"You are here cuz you are dying to kiss me."

"Yes, well, that's a bonus really. A side effect, if you will, of liking you."

"Really?"

"Really, really." Kate inched closer.

"See… I told you, you couldn't resist me." Juliet bragged while the brunette got closer to her goal.

"Oh, yes I can." Kate said finally kissing Juliet.

Kate couldn't help but moan and the feeling of Juliet's lips on hers.

_So much better than… anyone really…_

"You lie." Juliet added in between kisses.

"I pledge guilty."

"Extremely so."

"Will there be punishment?"

"Oh, you have no idea." Juliet smiled widely. "You have no idea… and it starts now." The blonde broke of the hot make out session.

"What…?" Kate asked a little dazed.

"Goodnight Kate." The blonde turned her towards the exit.

"What…? I was expecting some other kind of punishment!"

"I know."

"Oh you are bad." Kate narrowed her eyes at her.

"Quite the devil." Juliet agreed.

Kate laughed.

"Okay, okay. Fine. Have it your way."

"When don't I ever?"

"Yeah, yeah." Kate nodded dismissively and kissed the blonde one last time. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Kate."

"Bye."


	16. Chapter 16

Sorry xD!

* * *

KJ16

"Hey Freckles, how you doing?" Sawyer called upon spotting Kate walking down the beach from his spot in front of his tent.

"I'm fine Sawyer and you?"

"Blondie's given you any more trouble?" He said taking off his glasses and placing them on his lap.

Kate paused and thought about it.

"Nope. Not really."

"You sure? Why the hesitation?"

"You know I wouldn't cover up for her, especially if she's giving me any trouble." Kate rolled her eyes sitting down next to him.

"Well, you never know with one of them." He put down his book, marking the last page he read. "She could have promised you something, the world, maybe she got you to make a deal."

"That sounds as if you think I would give out information to _them_."

"I know you wouldn't but, look at Jack, he made a deal with them to get off the island, maybe she knows how to get out of here."

"James… I think out of all of us, you would know how there is nothing for me out there."

"So you saying you don't wanna leave?"

"Oh yeah I do, but, I don't have an anxious family out there waiting to hear from me, waiting for me to come home."

"I hear ya. This place isn't so bad, except for the freaky things that happen. I mean all this people is nice, we could have it worse."

Kate smiled. "Aw! I know you were a softy."

Sawyer narrowed his eyes at her and sneered.

"Oh, shut up."

Kate laughed.

"Don't worry , your secret is safe with me."

"Whatever Freckles."

"Oh don't get mad."

Sawyer smiled.

"So the blonde bitch hasn't given you any problems, huh?"

"No," Kate laughed. "The blonde bitch hasn't given me any problems."

"Well that's strange. They are always up to something."

"Yeah…" She rubbed her hands together. "I've been thinking… what if she's different?"

"Wha…? Oh hell no! She brainwashed you too?" Sawyer turned to face her fully with a perplexed expression which made Kate simultaneously laugh and glare at him.

"No, she hasn't brainwashed me."

"Oh, I think she has. One day you are all hate towards her, the next you are pro-her, what do you see in her?"

"Wha…? Do you hear yourself? You sound like a jealous boyfriend. I just think she is not as bad as you make her."

"Kate, she held you at gun point. Remember I told you out of all of those losers she was the only one who would have shot you? Who would kill you?"

"Yes, bu-"

"And then there was that thing where she handcuffed herself to you and lied all the time about it?"

"Yes."

"And she supposedly was plotting to kill Ben?" Sawyer snickered and opened a can of beer taking a swig. "I wouldn't trust the bitch as far as you can throw her."

"Hey." Late replied somewhat offended.

"No, make that, as far as the baby can throw her."

"She's been helping out."

"Why are you suddenly so set in defending her?" James gave her funny look.

"I'm not Sawyer. I just think that maybe we could give her the benefit of the doubt."

"Just because she's been helping with the fruit picking?"

"No. Because she hasn't been trying to force unto everyone that she's different and not one of them."

"That's called survival of fittest. She doesn't want to call too much attention on herself. Doing so would have everybody suspicious of her."

"There are eyes on her all the time Sawyer. I think one of us would have noticed if she tried to do something."

"They are sneaky. Really sneaky."

"Don't you think she could be telling the truth?"

"I guess there's a possibility that she is but, I gotta tell you, it looks damn small to me."

"I guess is not a matter of believing what she says but really see, to notice if she's lying to us when she says that. They say eyes are windows to the soul."

Sawyer shook his head. "But hers are so damn cold."

"They are." Kate nodded sadly.

They remained in silence for a few minutes just watching the waves crash against the shore and drinking beer.

"I still don't trust her." James said.

"I'm not saying I do either."

"She's a liar and a damn good at that."

"I know." Kate turned to look at him. "But so are we."

* * *

"Kate."

Kate rolled her eyes and walked towards the other.

"Okay, that is just plain creepy."

"Is it?" Juliet spoke with her back still turned to the brunette.

"How can you tell I'm here and that it is actually me?"

"Is it creepy? I could say it is creepy the fact that you seem," And she turned around to face Kate with her trademark cocked eyebrow and a small smile. "to be stalking me."

Kate huffed.

"Well I'm not. But you do seem to have eyes in the back of your head."

"Maybe I do." Juliet joked.

"What does that mean?"

"It was a joke, Kate."

"Whatever, doesn't make it any less creepy."

"Well, if you must know, I had feeling that you would show up here, and… I was right."

"Could have been someone else."

"True, but you have a very distinct way of walking and you have light footsteps."

"I do?"

"Yes. You are a female, and you are slim so it is not as heavy as Jack's-"

"Jack." Kate gritted out.

Juliet ignored her. "Would be. Plus you tend to be a little more stealthy and have a fast pace."

"Okay. Is that supposed to make it any less creepy?"

Juliet laughed.

"Cuz the creepometer just reached its highest point. It exploded as a matter of fact."

"I observe Kate. I picked things up these past weeks I've spent with you. I've grown accustomed to it. Aside from Jack you are the person I spent most of my time with. Plus," The blonde picked up her backpack and walked deeper into the woods. "Who's the one that hides behind the tree line and observes me?"

"Uh, everyone?"

"Wrong. Everyone doesn't even disguise the fact that they got me under surveillance." She turned to face Kate. "You , on the other hand, are the only one that even bothers."

"Whatever."

"And I know that is not because you just wanna see what evil me is doing but-"

Kate groaned. "Not another one of your crazy theories."

"Because you like watching me. And," She neared Austen. "Let's face it, I'm gorgeous. It's only a natural response in you to be so attracted to me."

"I see your modesty is still in bed, not an early riser is it?" Kate rolled her eyes trying to hide the small smile.

"I'm just stating the facts." Juliet shrugged showing her the palms of her hands and resumed her trek.

Kate laughed.

"Have you ever been told you are unbelievable?" Kate asked following her.

"I few hundred times, yes."

"So, what brings you out here? I thought we didn't have fruit picking duty today."

"And you would be right."

"So…?"

"Don't you see? It's and strategy evil me planned to get you to follow me out here."

"Uhu…" Kate added dubiously.

"Yes." Juliet nodded shrugging.

"Well, if you must know, or evil you must know, I had no idea you were out here."

"…"

Kate rolled her eyes. "I like to walk some times."

"Okay."

"Seriously!"

"I believe you. But… you still came to where I was."

"I was walking aimlessly thinking some stuff and a few yards away bumped into your trail and voila! Mystery solved. There was no following of you around simply because I had no idea you were even out here. Could have sworn you were with Jack." The last part came out a little harsh.

"And jealous Kate resurges again." Juliet smiled shaking her head eating a mango sitting down on a rock.

"…" Kate crossed her arms over her chest.

"…" The blonde stared back with a very innocent expression eating her mango.

Waiting. Patiently waiting.

Kate narrowed her eyes at her shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

Juliet calmly ate the sweet juicy fruit.

"…" Kate narrowed her eyes one last time before averting her eyes to the floor and crossing her arms behind her back. "What?" She asked with a, embarrassing, small voice upon noticing Juliet's lips corking up.

"…"

Kate huffed one last time shaking her head before stealing a glance in the blonde's direction finding her with an expression she was sure she reserved for adorable babies.

"Shut up." She muttered giving her one last narrowing of eyes before fully raising her head meeting Burke's.

Kate shook her head and smiled a full smile to the blonde who smiled back and then they burst in laughter.

"That was totally adorable." Juliet added after they had calmed down a little bit.

Kate smacked her arm playfully.

"No it wasn't." She got into Juliet's space.

"Yes it was."

Kate chuckled one last time lowering her head towards the other woman.

"Shut up."

And to silence the blonde, who wasn't really planning on saying anything, she sealed her lips with her own.

"Told you." Juliet smiled still attached to Kate. "Irresistible."

Kate opted to shake her head and resumed the kissing.

"No interruptions please."

Juliet happily complied.


	17. Chapter 17

just a lil' something

* * *

KJ17

"So what were you really doing all by yourself out here?"

The brunette asked after disentangling herself from Juliet, sitting down next to her on the grass.

Juliet turned to her inquiringly looking for that familiar suspicion the brunette's eyes held when it came to her and found none.

"Needed time to think."

Kate nodded. "About what… if I may ask?"

"A little bit of everything."

"Your family?" Kate guessed.

"Yeah… especially them." Juliet got a faraway look. "Yunno, we used to climb trees up and play around with my sister when we were little. And as we grew up, every time we needed to think or just clear our heads up, we would climb a tree. Any tree we came across with." She smiled. "It was funny to see the kids in the playground point at you with awe. There was one that thought I was the Lady Tree or something like that."

Kate smiled.

"So, that's why you were here."

"Yep. Hadn't done that in a while till we started picking fruit."

"So that's why you smiled most of the time."

"Yep."

"Mystery solved. I thought you were laughing at me."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, you know how you find me so entertaining." Austen shoved the other playfully.

"But you are."

"And I don't even mean to be."

Juliet smiled that cute smile of hers that made her lips curl up goofily, lowering her eyes briefly before smiling wider.

Kate shook her head chuckling at how different Juliet looked smiling to that indifferent mask she met her with.

"How often did you smile these last three years?" Kate asked seemingly out loud noticing she did when the blonde's smile wiped off her face. "I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to say that aloud. I just I…"

"No, is okay."

"Sorry. Party pooper…" She reprimanded herself.

"No worries." Juliet shrugged. "Not much. It can't get a little hard to do so when you are trapped in here where people keep dying around you. But I had Goodwin to keep me company. That made it barely bearable but bearable nonetheless." She chuckled dryly. "I'm such a martyr…"

"You are not there anymore." Kate moved behind Juliet with the blonde between her legs. "You are with us now."

"I know." Juliet replied tilting her head to the side curiously. "What are you doing?"

"You'll see." Kate said cryptically giving her a mischievous smile. "Is it okay if I touch you?"

"Well that depends on what kind of touching are you planning on doing Kate."

"Of the appropriate kind I assure you."

"And just what do you consider appropriate?"

"You'll see." Kate said gently turning Juliet's head forward.

"Let's see what tricks you got up your sleeve."

The brunette chuckled.

"Just a little hidden talent of mine…" Kate rubbed her hands together warming them up. "You ready for an unforgettable experience?"

"Stop the teasing and do it already. You got me anxious." Juliet closed her eyes wiggling her back in anticipation. "I have an idea of what you want to do."

Kate laughed.

"Okay, okay." She rubbed her hands one last time, finally placing them on the blonde's upper back and neck starting the massage. "God, you are tense."

Juliet let her head hang and purred a little.

"I am…It can get pretty stressful to deal with you."

"Ha ha very funny."

"I'm serious."

"Of course you are." She worked hard on a very stubborn knot. "When was the last time you had a massage?"

"Is it that bad?"

"Yeah."

"Well, from a professional…in a spa about.. what? Four years ago?"

"Wow."

"Yeah, but…"

"But, it is not a matter of having had a massage or not." Kate completed.

"Exactly."

"Bend over a little bit…" Kate spoke softly, running her hands down the length of Juliet's back and up again pressing down a little.

"I'm starting to think this is just an excuse to feel me up." Juliet joked.

"And you would be right." The brunette answered with a smile.

"I knew it." Juliet exclaimed in triumph.

Kate chuckled and moved to the area where the blonde's shoulder had once been pulled out of its socket and started massaging it softly.

"You said it had been dislocated more than once, how did that happen?"

"My shoulder?"

"Mhm."

Juliet snorted. "Well the first time it was when some friends in junior school and I were goofing around up in a tree and then we had the amazing idea of letting one hang from a tree branch and the others hang on them. And that someone was me…"

"Ouch. How many?"

"Oh, just one. Even then it wasn't so bad but when the second went to join in… my hold on my on the branch slipped leaving me hanging on just one arm and then _crack! _turns out I could barely hold my own weight much less another person's."

Kate smiled. "Second time?"

"The second time… oh, haha I fell down the stairs and landed on it."

"How did you fall?" Kate asked smiling.

"That's the funny part… I have absolutely no idea. All I know is that one second I'm walking and the other I'm falling and landing on my shoulder."

"How old were you?"

"Thirteen."

"Ha… I'm starting to think you were clumsy."

"If you must know… I wasn't, but I did have a close relationship with the floor."

"But you weren't clumsy." Kate spoke dubiously.

"Serious. I actually wasn't. I always ended on the floor because of someone else, not because of my uncooperative limbs or anything."

"Aha…"

"I had a very, very clumsy friend and all of us had to pay for his clumsiness." The blonde chuckled and smiled wistfully. "If he fell, something would automatically happen to make us all go down as well. "

"What's his name?"

"George." Kate snorted at that making the other woman frown.. "What?"

"Nothing. I knew a George once and he wasn't very attuned to his motor abilities either."

"You think it is in the name?"

"Maybe."

"God… right there… a little to the left… that's the spot." The blonde purred feeling Kate work out the tension in her neck and shoulders. "Where d'you learn that?"

"Nowhere. My dad would come home very tired and I would massage his back and he said he loved it so every time I saw him again, I would give him a massage and would get better at it."

"That's…" Juliet said frowning.

"My _real _father. Not that bastard."

Juliet nodded and then they fell into silence waiting for the tension within Kate to wear off.

"So why am I getting this massage for?"

"You gave me one and helped me even though I was practically barking at you."

"I just wanted to touch you, you know?"

"Oh I know. You think I didn't notice the times you copped a feeling here and there?"

Juliet gasped mockingly. "Damn! I thought I had gotten away with it!"

"Well you didn't."

The y chuckled.

"You were in pain and it could have turned for the worse." Juliet added.

"Be as it may… thanks anyway, it really helped." Kate insisted.

"I have talented hands too."

"Mhm…" Kate hummed giving Juliet a final massage and patting her on the shoulder. "All done."

"Already?"

"Yep. Well, kinda… we should get back."

"Mmm…" The woman grumbled.

"C'mon, let's go. At this point they have to be thinking one of us is dead."

"…mmm…" Kate chuckled when the blonde let her body rest on hers, feeling her heart beat faster at the closeness. "Don't wanna…"

"C'mon. Up, up." She said tapping the older woman's thighs.

"Fine… but you owe me a more through massage." Juliet said stretching out.

"A more through massage…?" Kate blushed at the image those works evoke in her mind. "S-sure."

Juliet stopped her feline stretching and turned a curious head in Kate's direction.

"Did you just stutter?"

"N-nooo." Kate mocked. "I-I didn't."

"Smartass." Juliet rolled her eyes starting for the camp.

"You know you like it."

"Uhu…"


	18. Chapter 18

Enjoy!

* * *

_Smack!_

"Move it." Juliet said moving breezily next to Kate with a shit-eating grin.

Kate jumped, her eyes widened and she turned around covering her behind with her hands.

"Wha…?"

"Thought you wanted to get back. You are moving too slow, at this pace we'll arrive tomorrow." Juliet offered as a way of explanation.

Kate narrowed her eyes at her before smiling.

"I'm moving just fine. What a lame excuse to smack my bum."

"I'm telling it how I see it."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever blondie."

"You are just taking your time cuz you looove to spend time with me." The blonde bragged.

"In your dreams."

"Just accept it Kate. Accept my grandness and you will be rewarded."

Kate laughed hard.

"Oh my God! Hahaha you surely have a high opinion of yourself, don't you?"

"Shouldn't I?" Juliet replied cockily.

"Nope."

"Aw." Juliet made a sad sound. "Way to burst my bubble."

"What can I say? That's who I am."

"Bubble burster." The blonde accused pouting.

Kate laughed and did something she never thought she would do, and that was taking Juliet's hand and kissing it lightly before letting go.

Juliet smiled at that spontaneity, loving the self-conscious blush Kate had.

"Sorry, never meant to burst your bubble." Kate said. "Why are you so happy today? Almost giddy?"

"I don't know. Woke up in a good mood, for the first time in like… forever."

"Oh, I know why." Kate said.

"And why would that be?"

"Well, isn't obvious?"

"If it were, would I be asking?" Juliet asked.

"Maybe." Kate countered back.

"So, what is it?"

"Because of my goodnight kiss. You see, I tend to cause that kind of reaction in people."

Juliet cocked her brows. "Ooh you do?"

"Yes. As you say, it's a natural reaction." The brunette shrugged. "People can't help it. That's just the way I am."

"Now, who's thinking so high of themselves?" She said shoving slightly the other woman.

Kate narrowed her yes at her mockingly.

"I speak only the truth." She placed her hands on her hips. "Are you implying I'm not?"

"I'm sure you do."

Juliet smiled and stopped upon spotting something…

"Uh-oh."

Kate cocked her head to the side stopping next to the frozen blonde.

"What's wrong?"

"Erm…" She said taking a step backwards. "Let's go some other way."

"What?"

Juliet pointed upwards.

"Do you see it? Do you see that furry thing?"

Kate nodded. "A monkey, yeah… so?"

"Well I have a bad history with those guys." She spoke in hushed tones. "C'mon, let's go before it notices us."

Kate chuckled.

"It's a monkey."

Juliet shook her head.

"Not just any monkey… _the _monkey. I know that little monster."

Kate did a double take. "What?"

"Yep, c'mon let's go." Juliet tugged at the brunette's hand urgently.

"Juliet… it's just a monkey." Kate said amused. "A small monkey at that."

"Trust me, that little monkey is a monster. The bastard…"

Kate chuckled at the sour expression the blonde had on letting her lead her through the woods. She squeezed the distraught blonde's hand.

"What happened?"

Juliet snorted. "Nothing."

"Oh c'mon, something obviously happened."

Juliet huffed and sulked.

"I was taking a stroll through the woods, minding my own business, eating a banana when that _thing_-"

"The monkey." Kate corrected amused at the level of animosity from Juliet to that monkey.

"Yeah, _the monkey_ approaches me. I have nothing against animals, in fact I love them and I used to think monkeys were great but that little guy changed my mind." Juliet spoke with odium.

"Okay…" Austen frowned at her.

"So he approached me and well I offered him some of the banana and he gladly started eating so I let him have the rest of it. It went on for a couple of days-"

"Your furry romance." The brunette joked.

"Whatever. I don't know how he did it, but somehow he found my place and started coming every once in a while, but well he was still a monkey and I've heard stories of them crashing down places, so instead of letting him come in I would walk around the woods with some fruit at hand to give to him. But then… I wasn't always planning on feeding him and sometimes just wanted to stretch my legs out, so when I wouldn't feed him… he started bullying me." She mumbled the last part with hatred.

Kate let out a strenuous laughter.

"HAHAHA what?"

Juliet blushed with embarrassment and fury.

"Don't laugh! The saddest thing is that it is true." She balled up her fist reliving the memory.

"He bullied you?" Kate asked after she had calmed down a bit, but the image it brought to her mind made it impossible for it to cease completely.

"Well… he developed a thing for my hair… I wasn't just gonna let him pull and get his dirty paws all over it and to make him stop I had to give him something, fruit, gum, whatever I had or he would grab my hair and pull at it. And aside from that, I started noticing after every encounter with him I was always missing something. It went on for two months almost every single day."

"No…"

"He collects stuff."

"What did he steal from you?"

"I never carry things in my pockets but well except for my keys and sometimes lipstick or something and sometimes some gum ... but… he stole my keys so many times that I had a spare one just about everywhere but what really pissed me off was when he appeared and threw himself at me and stole the necklace I was wearing and somehow, I don't know when, he snatched my ring right out of my hand. Never saw them again."

Kate laughed. "You are kidding me right?"

"No." Juliet answered coldly. "He's evil. Plain evil."

"Juliet, it's just a monkey." She stopped walking and turned the blonde towards her.

"No, he is an evil monkey." The blonde insisted. "He cackled at me. In his evil monkey way."

Kate clutched her stomach hard trying hard to get some air into her lungs but her laughter was making it impossible.

"There's no such thing." She got out leaning against a tree's trunk.

Juliet looked at Kate square in the eyes.

"Have you seen where we are at?" Kate looked down and nodded breathing some precious air. "Polar bears, smoke monsters, weird stuff everywhere you turn… need I say more?"

"Well, I guess if there's that then we can have evil monkeys." Kate acquiesced rolling her eyes.

"Let's hope he didn't see me. He won't leave me alone otherwise." Juliet said scanning their surroundings.

"Hey, hey… stop being so paranoid." Kate chuckled squeezing the blonde's hand. "Evil monkey…" She muttered laughing.

"You don't know him… the little monster…"

Kate shook her head, stepping closer and cupping the blonde's face with her hands stopping the erratic movement of it.

Juliet stopped and focused on her getting a small smile from the brunette and a kiss on the tip of her nose.

"What was that for?"

"You look cute when you are all paranoid."

Juliet smiled. "You don't believe me do you?"

"It sounds a little… surreal."

"I know, I know. But that happened two weeks after I arrived so you can't say I was crazy yet."

"There's that as well. How do you know it is the same one anyway?"

"Have you heard that saying that goes: 'know your enemy, know yourself…'?" Kate nodded. "Well I know mine very well, to know that that's the monkey that caused so much trouble. And…" Juliet moved her head to the side. "I have the scar to prove it." She said pointing a barely visible scar on her neck.

"A very small one." Kate said looking at it.

"Yes, but a scar nonetheless. Caused by that _thing_. That furry thief."

Kate smiled and kissed it making Juliet's eyes turn the size of plates.

Kate pulled away and studied the blonde, noticing that by her expression you couldn't tell anything but the faint blush that adorned her - that she knew wasn't caused by the heat -betrayed that nonchalant attitude.

Austen smiled shaking her head again and tugged at the hand she just realized she was holding captive.

"C'mon," She led the way. "Let's go, Ace Ventura."

"Ha ha, very funny."

"Pet detective." Kate mocked.

"You are such a dork." Juliet rolled her eyes. "I'm not the only victim. There were more."

"I'm sure it was a traumatic experience."

"Well it was." She smacked the smirking brunette's bottom playfully. "Now move it. We'll be late."

"We're gonna have to have a talk about personal boundaries." Kate said rubbing her attacked ass cheek. "Set some limits."

"I'm sure we will." Juliet smirked.

"You'll just keep doing that, won't you?" Kate smiled.

"Absolutely."

"Don't complain when I do then."

"I'll try not to."

Kate laughed.

"You are terrible."

Juliet just smiled with her head held high, absently swinging their hands together.


	19. Chapter 19

Thnaks reviewrs! we are almost there so... don't worry!

You people just want hot and wild sex *shakes head disappointed*

who doesn't? xD!

* * *

"You know? You owe me a make-out session." Kate stated walking towards Juliet, who was sitting under the moonlight n the beach, and positioned herself behind her wrapping her arms around the blonde's waist.

"I do? How's so?" Juliet asked resting her body against Kate's.

"For saving you from the evil monkey today." The brunette smiled against Juliet's hair.

Juliet laughed. "You didn't save me. We just took a detour."

"Well… how about for the inappropriate smacking of my bum that happened this morning. You thought there were not going to be any repercussions? Thought it would go unpunished?"

The blonde smiled throwing her head back and nuzzling Kate's neck.

"Oh, I was counting on there being repercussions." She purred.

"You were?" Kate asked a little breathless with her eyes closed.

"Yep."

"Everything you do is always sooo calculated, isn't it?"

"You are just that predictable." Juliet joked.

Kate smiled and whacked the blonde's thigh softly. "Ha, ha."

Juliet shrugged and started tracing random patterns on Kate's thigh.

"What is everybody up to?" She asked.

"Um, nothing, we're gonna have dinner in a while." She separated herself briefly from Juliet, reaching for a bowl. "Brought us some fruit though, well actually brought you some. Didn't see you at lunch, you must be hungry." She passed Burke the bowl with the sliced fruit.

_Grrrghh! _

As if on cue the blonde's stomach made itself known.

The women chuckled.

Juliet blushed. "Well, that was embarrassing."

Kate laughed. "_Grrrghh! _ To you too." She patted the blonde's stomach softly.

"Thanks." Juliet said accepting the bowl and started eating.

"So why d'you skip lunch? Where you afraid the evil furry thief would find you and make your life hell?"

Juliet narrowed her eyes at her playfully while she chewed and swallowed. "Nooo. I had a little headache that's all."

"Oh, why didn't you tell me? Did you ask Jack for some meds?"

Juliet shook her head.

"Nah, it was just a small headache. Some resting would get rid of it."

"Well, you are the doctor, you should know."

"Yep."

They kept silence while the blonde finished the rest of her fruit. Kate cocked her head to the side when she heard the blonde snicker.

"What?"

"Nothing…"

"C'mon…"

"Just thinking about how we went from hitting each other, mango throwing to hitting on each other and this." She gestured to them.

"It was kinda radical wasn't it?"

"Just a little bit. By the way, you have to change your courting strategies."

"What?" Kate asked affronted. "They are just fine, thank you very much. "

"I don't throwing a mango to the courted is very… courting."

"I don't court. I get courted. And first of all, I wasn't flirting, courting or anything I was only on fruit picking duty, and second, I did not throw that mango at you." Kate sulked.

"My head begs to differ."

"Well your head is wrong. Gravity exists. Deal with it." Kate joked.

"I'm gonna put you at that end of gravity and see how you like it." The blonde threatened.

"Oh, it was an accident!"

"Uhu."

"And you tried it a second time. You know, when Jack went with us?"

Kate gritted her teeth remembering the weird feeling she had that day, which she knows now it as jealousy, at seeing the two of them together and ever so overly friendly."

"Well, that was an _accident _as well."

"Aha… two accidents with the same MO… doesn't seem much of an accident to me…" Juliet taunted.

"Whatever…"Kate sulked. "I honestly had no idea you were there. If anything it is your fault for being so stalker-ish."

"I was doing Jack a favor."

"Uhu…" Kate countered back.

Juliet chuckled lightly and turned in Kate's arms.

"And…" She pushed the stunned brunette backwards, hovering on top of her. "I know you still keep that mango around."

"I-I don't."

Juliet let her daring tongue slide from her lips and run down the length of Kate's slightly salty neck. "You don't?"

"Uh… no…" Kate answered barely processing the words that were said to her.

"Well I…" She kissed her way up Kate's ear. "Don't-" She stopped and bit down on the earlobe. "Believe-" A little sucking of it made Austen moan. "You."

"Mmm…"

Juliet smiled against her neck. "Is that your argument Kate?"

"Mmm…"

"I'll take that as a yes." She said before capturing Kate's awaiting lips in her own.

"God yes." Kate mumbled happily kissing – more like devouring – Juliet's mouth.

"Yunno, you looked very… _captivating_ covered in mud." The blonde confessed.

Kate chuckled flipping them over. "I knew you had done that on purpose."

"I really didn't." Juliet smiled shaking her head.

"Nope. Do not believe."

"With that thing after us?"

"I," Kate kissed the blonde's neck and kissed her way down her collar bone. "have come to find you have a wicked way of thinking."

Juliet let out a heavy breath arching her back a little when Kate traced her teeth just above her breasts.

"Yeah… but I'm not that wicked…nor suicidal."

"Uhu…"

Juliet chuckled pulling Kate's head towards her and kissing her passionately before flipping them over.

"Hey!" Kate reproached.

"I get to be on top."

"Why?"

"Just because."

"It won't be like that for long."

Juliet raised her eyebrows. "Is that a challenge?"

Pause.

Okay, normally Kate would have answered yes because the question was already settling some sort of challenge and she wasn't one to back down nor turn a challenge down but… okay, _now_, Juliet was a great and strong opponent and one that she knew wouldn't back down either so easily so she had to mull it over.

And she came to the conclusion that whatever outcome of taking the challenge and even not taking it , would be some sort of win-win situation because the blonde would most likely please her and she could do bottom just fine.

"Ow!" She was snapped out of her thoughts by the blonde's pinching of her butt.

Juliet laughed shaking her head. "You already thinking about sex?" She asked amused.

"I, uh, I wasn't."

"Well… you had a very, _very _lascivious expression just now."

"No I didn't."

"I'm a doctor Kate, I went to University. I know these things." The blonde joked sitting down next to Kate, not before kissing the brunette hard and, unfortunately, short.

"Hey," Kate said reclining on her elbow and running a hand down the blonde's arm. "Where are you going?"

Juliet returned her stare back to the ocean and tilted her head a little to the left.

"Look who is coming."

Kate turned her head to the side and saw Sawyer and Jack making their bickering way towards them, so engrossed in their private glaring – which was seriously making Kate consider it was actually their way of flirting with each other – that they failed to notice how the women had been a little bit more than just friendly with each other.

Sawyer glared at Jack one last time, with the latter just barely abstaining from rolling his eyes, and approached _his_ woman.

"What's up freckles? Golden locks treating you fine?"

Kate shrugged. "Let's leave it at your own interpretation."

Sawyer snickered and passed an arm over Jacks arms who stopped smiling at Juliet at the unwanted contact.

"Well, let's hope we all have a good interpretation of it."

Jack shook his head and Sawyer's arm of.

"Hey." He smiled his boyish smile to Juliet, making Kate and Sawyer roll their eyes. "I need to talk to you about something."

"Sure."

Sawyer snickered again. "You wouldn't go anywhere with her if you weren't so into her. Makes me wonder what fucked up shit they fed you with."

Jack helped Juliet to her feet.

"Probably the same thing they fed Kate." Juliet said making James frown.

Kate glared at the blonde but she still felt her mouth curving upwards.

Jack passed his arm around Juliet and steered her towards the kitchen.

"Kate, James." Juliet nodded at them.

Jack turned his head towards Kate. "Dinner is ready."

Kate smiled a very small smile. "Yeah, thanks."

Once the _couple_ were gone, Sawyer turned his charm and attention towards the brunette.

"Why where the two of you doing out here anyways?"

Kate smiled at him. "Just talking. Why, jealous?"

"What, of you?" He joked, mimicking Jacks actions. "Never."

Kate raised her eyebrows. "Oh really?"

"What can I say? She has a nice butt."

Kate shook her head. "She does." Sawyer's eyes widened. "What?"

"Grr…" He waggled his brows.

She chuckled. "I have eyes, you know?"

He smirked. "Apparently." He gave her a pervy look.

"Not gonna happen." She said before he could say something. "Ever."

"A man can dream."He defended himself.


	20. Chapter 20

**Sorry for the long gap between updates! I'll make it up to you!**

**r&R please! **

**Enjoy!**

**

* * *

**

KJ20

"Someone is in a good mood today." Rose approached Kate at the kitchen with a small smile.

"It's a nice day." Kate answered after swallowing a spoonful of cereal.

"Something must have happened to have you smiling like that."

"Nothing ."

Rose cocked her eyebrows. "Honey… you are glowing."

"Like I said, it's a nice day." Kate smiled.

"Sure it is." The black woman shook her head.

"Hey, have you-"

"She went to the lake."

Kate stared.

"How did you -I wasn't gonna…"

"Sure you weren't." Rose said.

"So…" The brunette prodded lightly.

"I," Rose said giving her one of those 'aha' looks. "would say she left about fifteen minutes ago."

"I-" Kate started only to be interrupted by a smirking Rose.

"Wasn't going to ask about that."

"Exactly." Kate replied averting her eye and fighting off a smile. "And , uh, is she…"

"Jack's just over there hun," Rose pointed down the beach. "She's by herself, unless she's meeting there with a secret lover of hers, she's alone."

"Lover? Who?" Kate asked getting up and frowning. "What secret lover?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "She's by herself. And you are here, so, yes, she's alone."

"Oh…"Kate blushed staring at her feet. "I knew that."

"Young people these days…" Rose parted shaking her head.

Kate finished the rest of her breakfast and saw Jack approach her form the beach with a smile.

"Hey, how are you?"

"Good and you?" She gave him a happy smile.

"I'm fine, thanks." Jack frowned at her before smiling himself. "Do you know where Juliet is? Haven't seen her today."

"Uh, no."

"You guys are not getting any fruit today, are you?"

"Nope."

"Hmm… okay." He smiled. "Are you feeling better today? No more sudden crankiness?"

"Nope. No more."

"Good, cuz you've been a little… clawy lately."

"Hormones."

"Yeah, hormones." Jack decided to leave it at that. "Okay, see you later then. I'm gonna look for Juliet."

"Okay, good luck finding her."

Kate smirked when Jack took off in the opposite direction to the lake. She readied a bag with a towel and some dry clothes, water and some fruit to take to the lake.

As she passed the kitchen, she avoided Rose's knowing look, lowering her head as the woman approached and blushing when Rose exclaimed,

"Try to bring her back in one piece unscathed, will you please?"

"_Wha_…?"

"Just kidding honey. Now hurry up. I hear Jack is looking for her and Sawyer might be looking for you already."

Kate nodded and took off.

She wasn't running really…

_I'm feeling brave today…_

Kate thought puffing out her chest.

* * *

Austen reached the lake and looked for the blonde.

She waited a while to see if a blonde head resurfaced but apparently Burke wasn't down there. Or she was and she had drowned.

_Oh my God! Does she even know how to swim? What if she's… oh God!_

"Following me now, are you?"

Kate jumped and turned around.

"There you are! I thought you- uh, I-I thought- gah…" The brunette gaped.

Brain fry.

_GULP!_

"You thought what?" Juliet asked with a small smile.

"Uh… you uh… you're… y-you a-are not wearing clothes…" Kate spluttered out blushing like crazy and turning around sneaking a few glances.

Juliet laughed. "I believe I'm not completely naked Kate."

The blonde was wearing a very sexy black two-piece which was the reason why Kate's brain suffered a little death. Add to the fact that she was dripping wet and her disheveled hair gave her an extremely wild and totally irresistible look.

"Uh… no." She cleared her throat. "I knew that…errr…"

"Are you okay Kate?"

Kate nodded rapidly and sat on a rock.

"Yeah, yeah," She cleared her throat. "Why do you ask?"

"Cuz you look about to faint."

"Well, yunno, the heat-the sun's heat, and all…" Kate clarified before stripping down to just her bikini and entered the cold water where there thankfully wasn't any decomposing bodies.

She was thankful they had found another lagoon where they could safely take a swim and not be dead if there was some accidental swallowing up of some water.

Juliet chuckled and followed.

"Are you feeling better now?" She asked swimming close to Kate who was just resurfacing.

"Um, yeah."

"Good." Juliet smiled splashing the other some water.

They played around some more before Kate decided to say something.

"I like that."

"What?" Juliet asked smiling.

"That. When you smile. It looks really good on you. Makes me smile."

Juliet laughed blushing a little looking somewhere else, sitting on an underwater rock.

"Glad you like it."

"And you just totally blushed!" Kate said amused.

"It's the heat Kate." Juliet retorted rolling her eyes.

"Now who's lying?"

Kate's smirk washed off her face when Juliet wrapped her legs around her and brought them closer.

"Okay, yes, I blushed. I admit it." Juliet smiled tucking some rebel strand of hair behind Kate's ear.

"Uh…" Kate got out blushing with wide eyes.

"Are you at a loss of words Austen? Cat got your tongue?"

"Uh…"

Juliet chuckled. "You blush too much."

"Shut up." Kate said looking down.

_Bad, bad idea! _She thought when looking down meant staring at the blonde's _very_ nice breasts. _Really bad idea!_

Juliet smirked devilishly puffing out her chest.

"See anything you like?"

"Oh God! Sorry! I-I wasn't! I didn't mean to…!" She panicked looking anywhere but at the laughing blonde. "It's not funny…" She reproached when Juliet didn't stop.

"I'm sorry, but you are like a pubescent boy when you blush and stammer like that."

Kate gasped offended.

"I'm not!"

"Hey, I find it pretty cute and flattering."

Kate smiled through her glaring.

"So… are you still partially mad at me?"

"That depends…" The blonde tightened her hold on the brunette with her legs.

"On what? I'm a prisoner here. I doubt I can get out of this hold if I wanted to."

"Depends on the fact whether you try to escape. If you do, then I'll stop being partially mad at you and get potentially pissed."

"Oh really?"

"Yes. But you are here now, and you came after me so… that gives you some points."

"And what happens if you get potentially pissed?" Kate asked getting closer and resting her hands on either side of Juliet's hips.

"Then I'm never kissing you again."

"Never?"

"Never ever."

"We can't have that, now can we?" Kate asked leaning in smiling.

"Nope. We can't."

"Definitely not."

Kate smiled one last time before closing the remaining distance between their lips and happily kissed the blonde very softly.

After a while, she slid her hands upwards and caressed Juliet's skin before trailing them down, resting them on her lower back, while the blonde held onto her hips, bringing her even closer.

"Mmm…" Kate moaned when Juliet started trailing kisses down her chin and throat, placing small bites here and there.

"What?"

"That feels good."

Juliet chuckled making Kate jump at sensation the vibrations produced. She trailed her kisses back to where they were originally, and engaged their tongues in that sensual duel for dominance.

"Thought you didn't like me." Juliet said breaking off the kiss, running her hands through Kate's locks.

"Neh…sometimes." Kate shrugged.

"Aha."

"You are too confusing."

"So that's why you like me sometimes."

"Seriously, when you are not making fun of me you can be nice." Kate spoke matter of factly.

Juliet, resolute on defending herself, continued. "I don't make fun of you."

"You laugh at me."

"I laugh with you."

"Only I never laugh."

"You know you are cracking up on the inside." The blonde added smugly.

Kate smiled rolling her eyes. "But the object of your entertainment is me."

"I can't help but find your clumsiness very _entertaining._"

"Haha. You are very funny."

Austen leaned in capturing those irresistible lips of Juliet in a passionate kiss.

"And a hell of a kisser." Juliet quipped making Kate laugh hard.

"And a hell of a kisser." She agreed after she had calmed down resuming their make-out session.


	21. Chapter 21

Please, enjoy!

* * *

"We better stop." Kate said breaking their increasingly passionate make out session, stopping her wandering hands to wander too far even though she was dying to do so as well.

"Why?" Juliet asked not stopping her hands from feeling up the brunette.

"Well for one… if we keep going like this then well, something else will happen and well..." Kate blushed and then cleared her throat. "Two, Jack's been looking for you all morning so…"

"Oh, I see." Burke nodded.

"Wouldn't want him to see us like this." Kate added.

"Why not? I don't mind." Juliet said cocking her head to the side.

"Uh… well, you know how things are with Jack and Sawyer. It's going to get complicated if they find out."

"Hmm. Still, I wouldn't mind if they found us like this. We could make some sort of interesting arrangement." The blonde waggled her brows.

"Juliet!" Kate said whacked the blonde's shoulder.

"What?" The other innocently replied.

"Didn't know you to be so… naughty."

"Oh I can be naughty."

"I've just realized." Kate smiled and then narrowed her eyes "Still, that's a big no."

"I was kidding you know?"

"Well you better be." The brunette warned and captured the blonde's lips. "Cuz with you I never know."

"You know they would probably ask if they could join in."

"And that's another big no." Kate punctuated each word with a kiss.

"Why? Don't want to share me?"

"Something like that."

"God, you are possessive as hell." Burke rolled her eyes smirking.

"Well, I defend what's mine." The brunette mulishly replied. "Can't blame me for that…"

"Oh, and I'm yours?" Juliet asked cocking her brows.

Kate went wide eyed, blushing slightly.

"Well, uh, I-I…I-I didn't like mean…I mean… uh…I-I…kinda?"

Juliet chuckled and cupped the girl's face with both of her hands when the brunette looked about to run away.

"Hey it's okay, relax. And stop thinking about running away. You know what will happen if you do."

Kate nodded sheepishly and stopped squirming and tensing up her body, resting her head on the blonde's shoulder.

"Thank God you are not a cop." The mumbled against the blonde's skin.

"Why?" Juliet asked running her hands through Kate's messy locks.

"I think you would have convinced me to give myself in."

Juliet smiled. "Oh really?"

"I mean, you are blackmailing me with, yunno, stopping the kissage, that's just wrong."

"You know you want to be blackmailed."

"…maybe…" After a while the brunette said, "I'm cold."

"Yeah, let's get out of the water."

Kate frowned looking a little angry.

"Thought you were going to offer to warm me up."

"And what would make you think that Ms. Austen?"

"Well… I'm needy that way." She shook her head at herself. "And I can't believe just said that." She laughed nervously staring at the tree line with a small blush.

Juliet smiled at the blushing brunette amused. "Well, if you must know, I'm still partially mad at you."

"Why? I'm here! I've embarrassed myself in front of you, let you make fun of me, why are mad at me?"

"Because you tried to get away?"

"Oh, right… but that was because I, well yunno, made a fool out of myself."

"I know."

"So…?"

"Plus I want you to make me not-mad." Burke stated.

"Oh really?" Kate smiled. "And how could that be?"

"Oh there are plenty of ways." The blonde said getting out of the water and walking to her things.

Kate glowered at her. "Hey, not fair. I'm cold."

"Get out of the water then. There's plenty of sun for us to share."

Kate pouted slightly. "I don't want the sun…" She muttered getting out.

"C'mon, stop complaining."

Kate watched as Juliet started getting dressed. Although she was actually covering her body, she couldn't help but find the way the blonde did it a turn on.

_"Not complaining at all…"_ She muttered to herself.

"Kate… Kate!"

Kate jumped and directed her eyes to the blondes.

_Caught…_

"Yes?" She offered innocently.

"Are you gonna get dressed or are you going to check me out all day?" Juliet said smugly.

"I wasn't. There was no checking out of any kind." Kate, smiling, raised her hands shaking her head.

"Right."

"Honest." The brunette started getting dressed after drying herself.

Juliet waited for the other to get dressed before creeping behind her and running the tip of her finger down the length of the brunette's back making her squirm.

"Brrr…" Kate trembled.

"You ready?"

"Mmhmm."

Juliet snaked her arms around Kate's waist from behind and kissed her neck sensually before biting on her earlobe.

Kate on her part was close to resembling a very pathetic pile of squirming and buckling limbs that just happened to look like a human.

She gasped when Juliet started tracing random patterns on her taut stomach with her fingernails, trailing them painfully slow and over her hipbone making her abdomen squirm unintentionally and her panties to have some other kind of wetness to them.

Much too soon, the blonde pulled away and started for the camp.

"You coming?" She asked over her shoulder.

"You have no idea…" Kate said shaking herself out of her stupor and cursed when she had to lean down to pick up her backpack and her clit was deliciously, yet tortuously, squeezed between her legs. "God…" She moaned. "Why me?"

* * *

"You, Juliet, can't just do that."Kate complained catching up to Juliet.

"What can't I do?" Juliet asked giving her a glance over her shoulder, twirling a flower absently.

"Well you know… trail your hand down my abdomen like that and then leave me there to suffer."

Juliet chuckled. "You mean I shouldn't make you all _horny_." She corrected.

"No. I mean, you shouldn't make me all _horny _and then walk away."

"But you said we needed to stop."

"Yeah well but…"

"I did what you asked of me."

"Well you did it wrong cuz you stopped and then started again and left me behind. That's not fair."

Juliet stopped and turned around to face her, pinning Kate to a tree with her eyes.

"What's not fair?"

"Uh…mmm…."

Okay, forgive Kate if she can't possibly get a full word out or even process a sentence when Juliet looks at her that way.

"What is it Kate?"Juliet stalked forward.

"God…"

Juliet looked down and traced the outline of Kate's tank top, running the tips of her fingers over the other woman's chest.

"Mhm? What was that?"

"Ugh…"

The blonde chuckled before leaning in and kissing the brunette senseless.

After some minutes had passed, Juliet stopped the kissing leaving a breathless and babbling Kate behind.

"See you back at the camp."

Kate nodded absently.

"Yeah… sure…" When her brain registered the past words and events she shook her head. "Damn! She did it again." She huffed out.

Juliet response was a wink and a shrug of her shoulders.

"You know you love it."

"That's the problem." Kate muttered stalking after her.

* * *

"There you are girls." Rose said raising her brow making Kate blush.

"Hi Rose." Juliet greeted fresh as a lettuce.

"Hi yourself darling. Jack's been looking for you all morning like crazy."

"Where is he?"

"He's over there." The black woman pointed in his direction.

"Okay, thank you." Juliet said nodding her way heading Jack's way.

Kate fumed at the blonde's rush to get to Jack's side. Not even a glance in her direction, no 'goodbye, see you later' nothing.

"Now, darling don't sneer like that." Rose warned.

"She didn't even say goodbye." The brunette sulked. "And she practically ran over to where he is."

"You sound like a jealous girlfriend sweetheart." Rose shook her head, taking care of some drying clothes.

"I'm not. It's just that well, after… I would expect her to at least acknowledge me before she leaves…"

"She did glance at you briefly, you know that don't you?"

"No… she didn't." She replied unsurely.

"She did honey, but you were too busy glaring at Jack's back."

"No, I wasn't." She retorted.

Rose shook her head again, turning to Kate and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Have you ever been told you are like a boy with a crush?"

"Mmm… nooo…" Kate lied.

"Well you are. You are a combination of jealous and territorial girl and a blushing and stammering boy."

"Um… should I thank you for that _compliment_?"

"Hahah not really, no." Rose patted her arm.

"Don't judge me." Kate pouted. "I got problems just like everyone else."

Rose chuckled and hugged her.

"I'm not."


	22. Chapter 22

LOOOOOOONG DELAY I know. I'm sorry! I have had my head completely separated from my body this past months.

Please, enjoy.

* * *

"Freckles!"

"Hey you."

"Hey yourself." He showed off his dimples. "Where you've been all morning?"

"Around."

The man passed an arm around her, steering her nowhere in particular. "Wandering around the woods, I see."

"Yep."

"Why didn't you wake me up to go with you?" He stretched out. "Needed to stretch my legs a bit."

"Wanted to be alone."

Sawyer nodded. "So, where's the golden couple?"

"Who?" Kate asked uninterested.

"Jack and Goldilocks."

"I don't know. They were by the beach last I saw them."

"Keeping an eye on her, aren't ya?"

_Not exactly…_

Kate thought.

"Well, you never know."

"That's what I say." He agreed. "So," He stopped walking pulling Kate into his arms. "Missing good old Sawyer yet?"

"Mmm…" Kate smiled and thought about it. "Nope. Not really."

He chuckled. "C'mon, we both know that's not true. The ladies can't resist or get enough of my charm."

"Oh, they can't?"

"No sir. This," He motioned to his body. "And this," He pointed at his dimples, winking at the brunette. "Are clearly _irresistible."_

"Really? Well, as irresistible as they _might _be, they don't take away the fact that you are a pig." She said pulling herself out of his arms, rolling her eyes.

Sawyer shook his head.

"Yeah keep fooling yourself, sweet pie. You know you are dying for some Sawyer-loving." He called after the departing brunette, smiling when she turned to glare at him. "I just call it how I see it."

"Well , keep dreaming _sweet pie." _

Sawyer shook his head again, before tackling her down.

"Hey!" She tried to turn around to get him off her.

Jams laughed and pinned her hands to the ground when she tried to push him off.

"Irresistible." He bragged.

Kate hid her smile and rolled her eyes. "Oh, please."

"Say it."

"No."

"Say it."

"Please, look at the desperate measure you've taken just to get me to say it."

He laughed and got up, offering her a hand.

"In all seriousness now, and don't think this conversation is over," He stared pointedly at the dusting brunette. "Have you seen Jack?"

Kate shook her head. "Not recently. Like I said, last I saw him he was at the beach." She turned around and pointed. "Right over there." She looked at him sideways. "What d'you need him for anyway."

"Just some unresolved business."

Kate turned to face him fully crossing her arms over her chest, coking her brows. "And what would that unresolved business be?"

"Two words. Ping-Pong."

The woman laughed. "C'mon. He is going to kick your ass."

"No he won't." He said defensively. "I've been training."

"Training?" Kate repeated amused. "Training? Please Sawyer, is ping pong."

"Which turns out to be a sport for which people train to get into tournaments."

"It's an island. There's none of that here." Kate rolled her eyes.

"Yes dude," Hurley said coming their way. "There's no tournament here. No official competition."

"Whatever. The point is Jacko and I have some unsolved business and I ain't leaving it at that. A man's got to do what a man's got to do to defend his honor and turf."

"It's about to get very ugly in here." Hugo said and leaned close to Kate, stage whispering. "He is a sore loser."

Kate laughed making Sawyer glare at the two of them.

He considered taking on the big man but thought better of it.

"Whatever Jabba." Sawyer said walking away.

Hurley merely shook her head, walking away with Kate.

"How you've been Kate?"

Austen smiled frowning a little bit. "Good and you?"

"Good, hanging around with Charlie and baby Aaron. You know, the usual."

"So… not to be rude but, why the question?"

"Oh, you know nothing."

"Uhu."

"Just, you know, asking."

"…right."

The y walked about three seconds in silence before Hurley clapped his hands.

"So…_isitjustmeor youand Julietaregettingmorethanalong_?"

Kate paused tilting her head to the side. "What?"

"Oh, nothing, just, mumbling to myself."

"Hurley."

"Really, it's nothing." Kate just stared at him. "Okay, okay fine. Maybe it is just me but… you seem to get along with Juliet, that's all."

"What makes you say that?"

"It's not like I've seen the two of you hugging or anything." Little did he know he almost gave Kate a heartattack. "And I know you won't but, I dunno," He shrugged. "I haven't seen you glare at her in a while. Well, at least not as much. And you are civil to each other."

Kate shrugged. "What do I get from glaring at her? Everybody is always watching her every move. I can just dislike her silently. Hell, I've done it verbally and even physically but get nowhere. So I figured, nothing's going to change Jack's mind until it's too late."

Hurley hummed. "I don't think she is that bad."

"Again, what makes you say that?"

"Dunno, she's nice. Intimidating but nice."

Kate chuckled.

_You have no idea just how nice she can be…._

"I wouldn't know about nice." She added dryly.

Hugo smiled. "She is. She's been helping out and stuff. And she's…"

"Nice?"

"Yeah. I dunno, that's my impression of her. Like, I dunno, aside from all the glares and rude treatment she gets, she seems to be relaxed and she takes it fine, like she knows she deserves it or something. But that can either be good or really bad right?"

"Yep."

"Guess you never now with one of them." He said. "It… she makes me wonder though…" And with that the ever-nice man walked away leaving Kate to wonder what exactly it was that made him wonder about what.

The truth was that Juliet made her wonder and question many things.

First impressions be damned.

Juliet was turning out to be a whole different person from what she had gathered the first time she saw her.

No. Scratch that.

The first time she _interacted_ with her physically.

Gun calmly pointed at her.

Gentle touch to her arm.

A velvety warning.

Simple as that.

Drop the gun or she dies.

Never spoken.

The first time she saw her only made her want to unravel the secrets behind the blonde's cold yet beautiful eyes.

The fleeting glimpses she got of her made her wonder who she really was and not who she portrayed to be.

Only to be shattered -though not completely -when she was held at gun point.

And when they were handcuffed together.

But still, something about the blonde just had her… wondering… unconsciously giving the woman the benefit of the doubt.

And now, here they were doing _whatever_ it was they were doing.

Never would have she expected that.

But there _they _were also.

Jack and Juliet.

Sawyer and her.

Jack and her.

Juliet and her.

Kate sighed toeing the sand beneath her feet.

Even in the remote island she couldn't stop getting into messy situations.

It's not like everything was her fault though…

"Thinking about me, aren't you?"

A voice softly spoke from behind her.

Kate smiled.


	23. Chapter 23

Ages, I know. I'm so sorry.

* * *

_"Thinking about me, aren't you?"_

_A voice softly spoke from behind her._

_Kate smiled._

"Not just you." Kate admitted. "How d'you figure anyway?"

Juliet moved passed her, reaching into the water holder, wetting her face, effectively getting rid the smudge of dirt on her face.

"Well you know," The blonde took a swig from the bottle of water she held in her hand. "You have that _thinking-about-Juliet_ kind of stance."

"Oh really?"

"Yep. Plus, you were all dreamy eyed. And I know I'm the only one around here to evoke that in you."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. That's an undisputable fact."

"It is now is it?"

"Yes of course. Is there any fault to my statement and this wonderful fact?"

"Yes."

"And what would that be?"

"I don't get all dreamy eyed on you."

"Ouch." Juliet placed a hand over her chest, and then cocked her head, seriously. "You heard that?"

"What?" Kate said looking around.

"The sound of my heart _not_ breaking."

Kate laughed. "That's such a lame comeback."

Juliet smiled. "I know I know."

"That was pretty awful." Kate continued.

"Made you laugh though. Goal reached."

"Now you setting goals to get me?"

Juliet shrugged and walked past her. "Not really."

"Well you should."

"Not really!"

Kate jogged after her, spinning her around by the arm very aggressive-looking for onlookers.

"What did you said?" She feigned anger.

"I said, not really." Juliet shrugged off the brunette's arm.

Kate got in her face.

"That makes me sound so easy."

"Maybe it is just that you are not so hard to get. Better wording?"

"You bitch! Maybe I'm fooling you."

"Maybe I am too."

"Hey, what's going on?" Jack and Sawyer jogged their way.

Immediately, Jack went to Juliet's side and Sawyer to Kate's.

"Nothing." Kate glared at Juliet. "Juliet just being her-overtly-nice-self. You know how _nice _she can be."

"More that can be said of you." Juliet replied.

By now, they had gathered more than half the camp's attention who were forming a circle around them.

"Just because I don't go playing mind games with people does it make me not nice."

"You sure about that?" Juliet asked crossing her arms.

"Um," Jack cleared his throat. "How about we stop this? Maybe you girls would like to join Sawyer and I by the ping- pong table?"

Kate turned to Jack, not without giving Juliet a small smile.

"I can't believe you. You actually gonna play him?"

Jack smiled his boyish smile. "Why not?"

Kate rolled her eyes.

"Let me know how it goes." She said walking to the woods.

Sawyer just rolled his eyes and went to his tent to retrieve what they needed.

"What was that about?" Jack asked Juliet.

The woman shrugged smiling. "Kate being Kate. Me, being my overtly nice self apparently."

Jack winced. "I'm sorry."

Juliet frowned and smiled, placing her hand over his left bicep.

"There's nothing you should be sorry about."

"I know she can be difficult." He laughed nervously. "Trust me, I know."

"Well, so do I. It's okay Jack really. To tell you the truth, I kinda enjoy these childish arguments."

"Is that so?"

"There 's not much to do around here. Sometimes I just want to get out of here." As she said this, she tapped her fingers against her temple.

Jack smiled sadly. "I hear ya."

* * *

The crackling of leaves adverted Kate of somebody's presence.

She didn't even bother to turn her stare away from the waterfall.

"You might wanna go cheer Sawyer up." The invader communicated.

"That bad?"

"I think he pulled something in his arm."

Kate laughed. "I'm guessing he didn't let himself be checked up."

"You would be right."

"Come here." Kate grabbed the standing blonde's arms and pulled her down on her lap.

Juliet squeaked at the sudden move, finding herself on the brunette's lap.

"Guess somebody is _really _happy to see me."

Kate smiled against the blonde's neck nuzzling it with her nose. "Don't give yourself that much credit. I just like doing that."

Juliet twisted in her grip so she was straddling Kate.

"Right, cuz we've been doing this for years."

"Of course."

"Well, I'm not complaining."

"I know you aren't." Kate said continuing with her nuzzling.

She stopped however and bit _lightly_ the blonde's soft neck.

"Ow!" Juliet inched away. "What was that for?"

"You saying I'm easy."

Juliet rolled her eyes. "It was just a game. Plus, if any, it should be me that has to get back at you for calling me a bitch." And with that she pinched the girl's ribs.

"Ouch. Just calling it how I see-ow!" Kate smiled rubbing at her arm.

"You better don't finish that sentence Kate." The blonde threatened.

Kate raised her hands apologetically smiling a sheepish smile.

"I won't, _Juliet." _ Kate leaned in only to have the blonde lean away. "Ah… kiss me."

"Nope." Burke leaned away again when Kate tried again.

"Mmm…"

"Nuh-uh."

"Mmmm! Kiss me."

"Nope."

"Juliet! Don't make me beg."

"You're already begging darling."

Juliet trailed her fingertips over Kate's chest, pushing her down lightly on the grassy clearing.

"Am I?"

Juliet smiled a dazzling smile with her eyes and mouth that had the brunette's pupils dilating instantly.

"Yes."

Kate gasped when hands that were not hers ghosted over her ribcage down to her hipbone caressing it lightly effectively making her buckle her hips.

She placed her hands over the blonde's hips slowly making her way upwards before going down again and repeating the process.

"Maybe I am." She said.

"Trust me, you are." Juliet said leaning down wrapping her lips over Kate's.

"Will you comply then?"

"Of course I will."

Kate happily let the blonde's hands explore her body enjoying the teasing provided.

"Not that," Kate said in between kisses. "I'm not loving this but-"

"Yeah, I know."

"Yeah."

Juliet kissed the offered skin in Kate's neck.

"You better not have done this before."

Kate furrowed her brow smiling. "Uh, okay."

"Cuz I have not."

"I haven't." She chuckled. "You are so weird."

Juliet laughed. "Here I am loving you and you are making fun of me. Does that sound fair to you?"

"Oh c'mon, you make fun of me all time."

"Maybe I should stop." The blonde sat back, putting a finger on her chin. "Give you some time to reflect, that'll do."

Kate smiled, caressing the blonde's thighs while resting on her elbows.

"Oh, you are sending me to my room, now?"

"Keep on with that attitude and I just might."

Kate shook her head. "Threats, threats, threats. That's all I ever get from you."

"Well I must be evil then."

"Plain evil."

Juliet smiled sweetly at Kate making the brunette's heart flutter happily before she kissed her again.


End file.
